Jelly Slugs and Acid Pops
by nickyfullmetal
Summary: Draco Malfoy is given a suicide mission. Alexa Kaiser is faced with the decision whether to follow her parents' dark path or not.  Will they overcome their animosity and survive the inevitable war?
1. Back to School

**So this is my first attempt at HP fanfic. The story begins in their sixth year at Hogwarts, were Draco Malfoy and Alexa Kaiser are forced to mature.**

**Old friendship forgotten, loyalties betrayed, Malfoy and Kaiser's relations are now hostile. However, war changes people. **

**I hope you will find it enjoyable.**

**And obviously, I don't own any of HP characters, all credit goes to the brilliant JKR.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Back to School**

A light haired girl stood alone on platform 9 3/4, waiting for the train to take her away from the saddening memories. Some would consider her beautiful, but to most her appearance was unnerving, almost painful like looking straight at a very bright light. She glanced at her bags, all carrying her initials AAK, checking to see if she had forgotten something; it seemed like she had everything with her and even if she did not, she would not return to Germany to grab it. A faint smile curled her lips when the train's horn was heard and soon the wheels had stopped their motion and many excited students gathered in front of the carriage's doors. She despised this vulgar behavior; all the pushing and the shoving, as if their lives depended on it. She slowly made her way to the front carriage, where the prefects rode, and choose to seat away from everyone else, she was not in the mood for small talking.

"Alexa," a quiet voice called her name, and she raised her eyes to view the Indian features of her fellow prefect, "It's good to see you." The girl added in her gentle voice.

Alexa gave her a short nod and replied politely, "Likewise, Padma."

Unlike most of the people this Patil twin was tolerable. Alexa found her serene, almost coy nature somewhat pleasant. Despite being a Slytherin, most of Alexa's friends were Ravenclaws, yet pure-blooded. On a second thought, she would not go as far as calling them friends; she just preferred them on the arrogant Slytherin snobs, and the pathetic Hufflepuff losers. As a Slytherin she never even considered befriending with Gryffindors. She pulled out a book from one of her bags and hoped to pass the long ride unbothered, but it seemed like things were not going her way that day.

"Kaiser." She heard a familiar voice drawling her surname with the hint of contempt, "Did you enjoy summer with your family? I mean, what's left of it…" the disgustingly blonde lad teased her.

"Malfoy, it's better to spend your summers alone than to tolerate a two faced scumbag like your father is," Alexa said coolly while Malfoy's face grimaced, "It's even more enjoyable not having to see your ugly face every day. So yes, I enjoyed it very much."

"You're going to pay for it, Kaiser," Malfoy muttered angrily, and Alexa's hand moved to the inner pocket of her robe, where her wand was.

She gave him a scornful look, "Are you going to order these two moronic pawns of yours to attack me?" she asked dryly, glancing at the blank, dumb expressions of Goyle and Crabbe, who towered above her seat. "Or better, tell you daddy…" she added with a venomous tone.

Malfoy reached quickly for his wand but no quick enough, Alexa was already on her feet and aiming her wand at him. Everybody's eyes were focused on them and the tension made the air dense. "I suggest you leave Miss Kaiser alone," a calm voice broke the silence and she saw the other Ravenclaw prefect, Anthony Goldstein, aiming at Malfoy as well.

Malfoy gave him a murderous look and lowered his wand, storming away to sit elsewhere, followed by his companions. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, putting his wand away.

She examined him with her cold eyes, before answering. "I don't." she said in a blank voice, looking at him through narrowed eyes, "I could have handled it alone."

"I'm sure," Anthony replied, moving a brown band from his left eye, "But I couldn't miss an opportunity to piss Malfoy." These words granted him a weak smile from Alexa, "I never thought he would turn against a fellow Slytherin." He added with a severe look on his face.

"Malfoys has no morals." Alexa stated, closing her book and putting it back in her bag, "Let alone house fraternity. You don't get to own half of the Ministry of Magic if you aren't corrupted to the bone."

Anthony chuckled at her comment and he was not the only one; she turned her head to source of the noise, to see Weasley and Granger's amused expression. "Is something funny?" She asked in a freezing tone.

"It's not often that we see a Slytherin turning against Malfoy." The red head prefect said with an annoying grin plastered on his even more annoying face.

"Please do mind your own business, Gryffindors," Alexa replied in an emotionless voice, though her expression was a bit hostile. The Weasley descendent silenced immediately and Granger gave her a thoughtful look but she ignored it and turned to look through the window, the view on the way to Hogwarts was beautiful. The rest of the ride of silent and when the train stopped she put on her robe and accompanied Padma and Anthony, aiding them in escorting the new students to the castle. She loved Hogwarts because it never changed, it was always welcoming, an island of solid sanity in an unstable world.

"Alexa, Glamorous as ever," an ingratiating voice interrupted her thoughts, "You have to teach me your secrets." A sycophant Parkinson said in an overly sweet way.

"I don't think your beloved Malfoy will appreciate you sucking up to me." Alexa replied with a raised eyebrow and Parkinson turned on her heels dramatically with a huff. Alexa sighed, tired of being constantly bothered, and was just in time to catch a little brown haired girl from falling on her face. She pulled her back to stand and shot an angry glare to the boy behind here. "If I see you shoving one more time, I'm going to feed you to the piranhas in the lake."

Obviously there were no piranhas there, and she had very limited authority as a sixth year prefect, but he did not know it being a first year, and seeing how pale his face turned he was terrified. She escorted the young students to the castle gates where a severe looking McGonagall was waiting to prepare them for the sorting ceremony.

Alexa snickered as she recalled her experience five years ago; she remembered looking around to see terrified students, fed up with stories about fighting dragons and trolls as part of the sorting ceremony. She knew exactly what was expecting her, and to which house she would be undoubtedly assigned to, just like Malfoy did only she did not brag about it. Unlike Malfoy, who was sorted to Slytherin before the hat even touched his silvery hair, the sorting hat took the time before deciding where to assign her. She had the brains of a Ravenclaw, but she insisted on Slytherin, like her parents were and their parents too.

After finishing her duties as a prefect she attended the Great Hall, taking a seat at the table beside Greengrass and away Parkinson and Malfoy as she could. Blaise Zabini sat in front of her, his constant expression of dissatisfaction plastered on his face; he was the vainest person she had ever met, but he was never one of Malfoy's pawns. She focused on blocking Malfoy's never-ending tales about his luxurious summer vacation, and reluctantly moved the food in her plate from side to side; the food in Hogwarts was delicious but she had an ominous feeling in her stomach that this year was not going to be anything like the previous ones.

"Anything bothering you, Kaiser?" she lifted her head to see Theodore Nott looking at her somewhat worriedly. She never considered him handsome, but she favored him over the rest of the Slytherin boys since he resembled her in many ways; he was clever, solitary and modest.

"Not really. I was only considering hexing Malfoy with a muting spell." she replied bitterly with a lopsided smile, glancing at the blonde lad who kept parting about his family's wealth.

"Let him talk, Kaiser," Theodore said in his quiet voice, "If that's what making him happy. He's a pitiful mess really." He told her with a serious expression.

"Why would you say that?" Alexa raised a surprised eyebrow, Malfoy was spoiled beyond reason since the day he was born; she doubted if he ever heard the word 'No' in his entire life.

"Imagine having Lucius Malfoy as your father." He replied, his voice sounding a bit sad, "Draco is putting out a great display, but being a Malfoy means you have to meet the highest standards. Failure is absolutely unforgiven." He pointed out wisely, "I thought you were clever and observant enough to deduce it yourself." He added with the slightest criticism in his voice.

"I never devoted to it much thought," Alexa confessed, poking at a cooked carrot in her plate, "I assume you are right. Though I can't bring myself to feel any sympathy towards him."

"Me neither." He said coldly, "He made enough choices on his own, and he is going exactly in his father's way." He spat with disgust, cutting his beef a bit too violently.

Alexa put down her fork and gave him an inquiring stare. "Are you implying that…?" she began to ask but Theodore interrupted her, "I'm not implying anything, Kaiser." He said in a cold, determined voice, making it clear this discussion had ended.

She nodded lightly and returned to stare at her plate, her mind fully occupied until she felt a sharp pain in her ribs. She jumped in her seat, turning to look furiously at the older Greengrass sister who elbowed her.

"The Ravenclaw prefect has been staring you the entire meal." She reasoned her elbowing, trying to get Alexa's attention.

"I couldn't care less, really." Alexa replied dryly, looking up at Anthony who indeed was eyeing her. She gave him a tight smile and looked away indifferently.

"God Alexa, are you even human?" Daphne wondered loudly, "You've never showed any interest in a guy since out first year here."

"Because none of them is interesting." Alexa remarked with a shrug, she was being honest.

"And you find none of them attractive?" Daphne inquired, eyebrow raised with disbelief.

"Not particularly." Alexa replied truthfully, scanning the Great Hall to see if she had missed something.

"Not even Malfoy?" Daphne asked in quiet voice, almost a whisper, "My younger sister is desperately in love with him."

"I can't see past his obnoxious attitude." Alexa said flatly, glancing over to the arrogant lad sitting a few seats from her.

"Were you just gossiping about me, Kaiser?" he shouted from across the table, causing Daphne to blush slightly but Alexa remind calm.

"You're vain, Malfoy." She spat with a scornful expression, "While you have absolutely nothing to be proud of."

Malfoy kept his arrogant expression, controlling his temper, and slowly but gracefully rose to his feet, walking over towards her end of the table. He shot Zabini a commanding glare and the said immediately moved to allow him to sit in his place.

"Do I?"He said in his usual drawl, leaning his elbows on the table and looking her right in the eye, where steel met steel. "Why shouldn't I be proud?"

"I doubt you'd like to me to open it in this forum." Alexa said in a low voice, like a snake's hiss, dangerous glow appearing in her eyes. Malfoy did not move, maintaining his composure; it was better for him to retreat but he could not withdraw when everybody was watching.

"I insist." He said in a sly, silky voice, his grey eyes boring holes in her skull.

"Your bloodline is stained with treachery, Malfoy. You could never pick a side, always preferring your convenience over anything else." She accused him, her voice low and quiet for his ears only.

He looked at her with hatred and straightened in his seat, his right palm covering his left forearm. "I already picked a side, Kaiser. And you'll have to, soon." He said behind greeted teeth, his eyes narrowed.

"We will see about that," She answered mildly, gazing at him peacefully. He was right, she would be forced to choose, and it terrified her. But he would be the last person to know about it. Before this conversation progressed any further, Snape had stopped in front of their table, looking at them in his usual sneer.

"You all seem to have rested well." He said with an unpleasant curl of his lips, "I expect you to excel this year; it's been too many years that the Gryffindors win the house cup." His black eyes were fixed on Malfoy and then moved to gaze upon Alexa, which was somewhat surprised. "Malfoy and Kaiser, come to my office tomorrow at lunch break." He instructed them shortly, and walked away without waiting for an answer.

When dinner was over she and Malfoy managed to control their mutual hatred while showing the first year student to their dormitories, giving them some basic information and answering their anxious questions. When Alexa finally reached bed she was exhausted, but it was for the better since she was too tired to contemplate and reminisce, falling into a dreamless sleep.

**Reviews are highly appreciated !**


	2. Choices

**Here's another chapter for you!**

**I try sticking to canon, but sometimes I do take some literary freedom. I just don't see the point in writing Harry Potter all over again.**

**Thank you Chelsea for commenting, it's really encouraging.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2 : Choices**

She sat nervously while Snape examined her O.W.L results, staining the yellowish parchment with his oily fingers. His black eyes moved fast from side to side, he was an inhumanly fast reader, and his face showed no emotion at all. "I didn't expect less than that, Kaiser," he said in his silky voice, a not very successful attempt of a compliment, but coming from Snape's mouth, it was flattering. She received a flawless Outstanding grades in all of her O.W.L tests she could have continued to studying any subject for the N.E.W.T.

Alexa nodded humbly, looking at her black snickers and he said, "Clearly, you can apply to study all of your O.W.L courses. What will you choose?"

"Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Defense against the Dark Arts." She replied, and saying it out loud caused it to sound almost impossible.

He looked up at her, examining her with his unreadable gaze, she wished to disappear that very moment. It seemed like he intended to say something, but refrained, and instead handed her the class's schedule, reminding her to arrive at his office during lunch break. She nodded and left for her first class in Ancient Runes.

Two hours later, she studiously took notes in Snape's class, not missing a single detail, with her miraculous ability to listen attentively and assimilate while summarizing the material in the most efficient way. She glanced at Granger who seemed to do exactly the same thing, and smiled to herself, she always enjoyed some challenging competition. The next time she lifted her head was to glare at Malfoy, who sat lazily in his chair, occasionally whispering something in Parkinson's ear.

The class was soon to be over and she remembered Snape asking her presence in his office just after, so she waited a few minutes when the class ended, arranging her notes in her bag and letting Snape settle in his office before attending it. When she raised her eyes she noticed she was not the only one lingering in the room, Granger was eyeing at her hesitatingly, and slowly making her way towards her. The brown haired girl came to a halt before her, seemingly in search for the right words.

"I think we had never properly introduced ourselves," the girl said after a long silence, "Hermione Granger," she stretched her hand forward for Alexa.

Alexa raised an eyebrow at the strange situation, "I know who you are," she said coldly, and Granger was just about to pull her hand back in disappointment when Alexa decided to shake it. Granger seemed relieved. "Alexa Augusta Kaiser."

"It's a pleasure," Granger replied with an uncertain smile, "Descendent of the Charlemagne?"

"Among many others, yes." Alexa replied lazily, though it was somewhat flattering that Granger brought that up. "How can I help you?"

"Well, we've noticed…" Granger started replying and stopped to rephrase, "You seem different than the others."

"Others?" Alexa inquired, eyebrow raised again.

"You're not the usual Slytherin," Granger finally uttered, as if struggling upon it. "You've just shaken the hand of a muggle-born."

"I am a Slytherin, to my very core. Don't be mistaken." Alexa said in a low voice, so it almost sounded like a threat. "My behavior is just more refined, compared to the absolute lacking manners of my fellow housemates."

She noticed Granger's fingers twitching, her hands placed stiffly on the sides of her body. "And yet you're not like the…" the girl could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Like what, granger?" Alexa asked slightly impatient, "When I have my inner conversations, and rarely as it happens, come to think of you, I refer to you as Mudblood." Alexa informed her coldly and saw her classmate flinch a bit. "I do respect you for being the only one to match me academically. But this is how I was raised; in my eyes you'll always be just a muggle-born."

Fire lit in the Granger's brown eyes, and her hands clenched into a fist. "So you're just like them?" she hissed angrily, and also hurtfully, "A Death Eater?"

Alexa's expression was blank, and her inner turbulence did not show even the slightest bit. "You're playing a dangerous game, Granger." Alexa replied in a dry voice, her icy eyes narrowed, "Death Eater or not, I would strongly recommend you to stay out of my business." She said, not hiding the threatening theme, "Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."

And with that Alexa grab her bag and marched to Snape's office, trying to analyze what had just happened with that filthy Gryffindor. During these two days she had came across many things that demanding further contemplating, she had mentally listed all of them and would deal with them at the end of the week. She was in a need for a clear mind until the classes were over for that week. She suddenly found herself in front of Snape's door, not quite remembering how she got there as the thoughts clearly occupied her mind. She knocked lightly on the door and entered once Snape had called for her to come in. Malfoy was already there, sitting in his chair in his sluggish way, stretching his legs far from his seat and leaning backwards as if he was resting on a sofa in his own private room. Narcissa always cared so much for manners and Alexa wondered how Malfoy inherited nothing of his mother's perfect ones.

"Please take a seat miss Kaiser," Snape said in his unpleasantly soft voice, pointing a chair beside Malfoy's. "You're both prefects, starting your sixth year of education in Hogwarts. I expect to see at least one of you as Head Boy or Head Girl, if not both of you." He informed them but somehow it did not sound complimenting. "However, this is unlikely to happen if you don't sort your problems in a more civil way."

Malfoy was about to open his mouth and protest when Snape silence him, "Yes, mister Malfoy, I'm very aware to what happened on the train." Snape said in a venomous voice, and his eyes darted from Alexa to Malfoy rapidly, seemingly disappointed.

"It won't happen again." Alexa said quietly, her eyes fixed on the floor, and shame burning in her cheeks. She was rebuked and rightfully deserved it. A moment later Malfoy seemed to mumble some sort of incoherent apology and Snape dismissed them, returning to read in one of his books. They stood staring at each other outside Snape's office, each of them wearing an equally arrogant expression of supremacy, loathing and scorn.

"I couldn't care less about being Head Boy," Malfoy spat with contempt, "I have more important things to care for. But I bet it's important to you."

"It is." Alexa replied in a reticent voice, "My parents would have liked that."

"You're parents are dead." Malfoy said in his usual cruelty and lack of tact.

"You're not far behind." Alexa fired back, "Your father is rotting in Azkaban while your mother is probably considering suicide to avoid the shame you and your pathetic father had brought upon her." before she was even done talking Malfoy was aiming his wand at her, but Alexa remained calm. "Attacking me right outside Snape's office might not be the smartest move." She remarked sarcastically.

Malfoy lowered his wand with a grown and span around with his nose stuck high in the air, starting to walk away. Alexa saw the opportunity and send her hand to stop him, grabbing his left arm; he screeched in pain.

Her assumption was confirmed. "Still fresh, isn't it?" she mocked him. "Like father like son." She spat scornfully, her lips curled in a sneer.

"And what about you, Alexa?" Malfoy questioned, sticking his wand at her chest, "Soon enough you'll be summoned as well." He pointed out, and she shivered at the thought.

"I'll handle it when time is due." She told him with a blank voice, not letting her fear show, "I'm disappointed that this is how you chose to handle it."

"I had no choice." He said through gritted teeth, his voice slightly breaking.

"There's always a choice, Malfoy." Alexa argued, waving away his wand from her chest.

"Really?" he asked in a degrading tone, "Then what would you choose, Kaiser?"

"I will never become one of them." She replied in a voice that was not louder than a mere whisper, but the defiance in her eyes validated her words.

"Then you'll die." He said simply and turned to walk away, and she remained in her place, his words repeating in her head like a broken record. She knew it was a matter of time before she would be asked to prove her loyalty and she knew refusal meant death. There had to be a way out of it. Without another thought she found herself knocking on Snape's office once again.

"Who is it?" his reluctant voice was heard from inside.

"It's Alexa Kaiser, professor." She replied, her voice a bit shaky.

"Come in," he said, and she saw slight surprise in his face when she reentered the room. "What do you want, miss Kaiser?" he inquired in a firm voice that made her reconsider her plan.

"I need your help, professor." She answered in a slightly desperate voice.

"Speak." He said a bit impatiently.

She inhaled deeply, wondering how to put it, "My parents were…." She started to say but trailed off. "I knew your parents well, Kaiser, I know exactly what they were." He told her boldly, but she could see a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"Soon enough I'll be expected to follow their path." She said in a severe tone, looking at him with her wise eyes.

"And will you?" Snape inquired, straitening in his chair.

"Never." She spat and he raised a surprised eyebrow. "But if I refuse, I will meet an unpleasant end soon afterwards."

Snape gave out a heavy sigh, linking the tips of his fingers, "This is likely to happen." He agreed morbidly.

"I don't want to die." She stated firmly, "And Hogwarts is no longer the safe place it used to be," she said watching him curl his thin lips at her observation, "Teach me to defend myself."

Snape seemed thoughtful, weighing her words, when he raised his eyes to meet hers she could see he had made his decision. "Fine. Meet me every Thursday night at the Dungeon Hall." He told her in flat tone.

"Thank you, professor." Alexa said gratefully, her pale face slightly beaming.

"Why have you decided to turn to me?" Snape questioned, moving some of his oily hair out of his sallow face, "I'm a quite controversial figure."

"Two of the greatest wizards of our time found you trustworthy." Alexa replied with a lopsided smile, "Good enough for me."

While she rose from her chair she was successful to notice something that was as rare as solar eclipse, a faint smile morphed on Snape's lips. She bowed slightly and thanked him again, exiting his office with a higher moral than she entered it.

There is always a way.


	3. Lessons

**Thank you Chelsea and TheMarquise for reviewing!**

**I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3 : Lessons**

She sat near the fireplace at the common room, searching for a certain word in her Advanced Rune Dictionary, occasionally raising her head to gaze at the playful flames, comforted by their pleasant warmth. She nibbled the edge of her quill, trying to figure out how to write down the answer for her homework assignment, but her thoughts kept wandering. Malfoy had been marked, which meant the Dark Lord had plans for him, but what use could he have for a sixteen year old boy?

She sighed deeply; she hoped that his father's imprisonment would affect him, make him turn his back to the dark path his father chose. However, just the opposite occurred, and Malfoy was driven to take his father's place, though he obviously lacked the skills to handle the task. Lazy as he pretended to be, she knew he was studying hard when no one saw, he was still the brilliant boy she once knew. But an obnoxious git as well.

"Kaiser, could you go over my assay?" Zabini called for her from the other side of the common room, waving the parchment in the air.

"I'll go over it once I'm done with Runes," she replied without lifting her eyes from the page she was reading from, "Just put it over her," her hand motioned her desk.

His assay was coming her way, floating in air, Zabini aiming it with his wand until it landed softly before her; just like many other Slytherins, Zabini was as bright as he was lazy. She had noticed it characterized many of the Slytherins, they avoided hard work, seeing fit to people inferior to them. She wandered if that arrogant attitude was just part of being a Slytherin or was it Malfoy's behavior that everyone was copying. One way or the other, she despised the idea, but not enough to refuse to aid her housemates. She finished the exercise for Ancient Runes, and reached for Zabini's assay, reading it briefly.

"Zabini." She said in a cold voice and he slowly made his way to her, his expression screaming of self-satisfactory. "This is wrong." She stuck her wand at one of his first sentences, "And this is just bullshit," she pointed at another line, "This entire assay is utter crap. And it's for Snape's class."

His expression remained smug, "He's the head of our house." He replied with a wave of his hand.

"Regardless, he's going to rip you to shreds." Alexa told him bluntly, "This is shameful." She poked the paper with her wand, "You better copy Malfoy's" she advised him.

"Malfoy's a sod," Zabini spat, taking his assay and reading it once again, "He's completely neglecting his homework lately, and anyway, he wouldn't let anyone copy his work."

"Malfoy is a sod." Alexa repeated, confirming his statement.

"So can't you help with it?" he asked her, putting on his charming smile. Zabini was handsome, but his charm never really worked on her.

"I've been doing the homework of this entire house," Alexa remarked leaning back in her chair tiredly, "I'm tired and I have to go in a few minutes. You can look at my assay but please copy it cleverly so it won't be too obvious." She said in a flat tone.

"You're the best, Kaiser." Zabini remarked with his fake smile and Alexa held herself to refrain from making a nasty comment, "Where are you going on Thursday night?" he inquired with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"I have some meeting to attend." Alexa said vaguely.

"Is that a guy you're meeting?" Zabini made himself comfortable on the arm of her chair, looking at her with newfound interest, "What's your secret?"

Alexa glared at him; suppose she was meeting with a guy, did Zabini really think she would tell him? "Well, it really is a shameful secret, Zabini, so you better not tell," she said quietly and he lowered his head so she could whisper in his ear, "I'm seeing Potter." She whispered in a very serious tone, then covered her mouth looking shy.

Zabini's laughter echoed in the room, his head thrown backwards an almost lost his balance and fell from his seat. "I never thought you were capable of making jokes, except the nasty comments you exchange with Malfoy." Zabini told her once he calmed down, "You can do much better than Potter," he added with a grin.

"Really?" she inquired, resting her chin on her palm, "Who would make a proper candidate?"

"A pureblood Slytherin, obviously," Zabini replied with an elitist expression. He seemed thoughtful for a moment, looking at the dying flames in the fireplace, "It would be interesting to see you with Malfoy."

Alexa almost choked on her own spit, looking at him with terrified expression, "You look far too serious when you're making jokes." Alexa commented, raising from her chair and collecting her belongings.

"Because I'm not." Zabini said in a surprisingly firm voice, he always sounded so indifferent. "He's a good match for you. And though he's acting all hostile around you, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Alexa grabbed her bag, and stood straight, stretching to her lean five foot seven. "But I mind. It would never happen." She stated in a clear voice, giving Zabini a determined look, "Sometimes, I find him worse than Potter."

"That's harsh." Zabini said, sounding as if he was offended on Malfoy's behalf. Alexa just shrugged and walked pass him, exiting the common room and walking out the Dungeon Hall, where she waited for Snape. She did not wait for long before he walked past her, telling her to follow him, as they climbed up to the Seventh floor. Then he ordered her to stop, and paced around looking thoughtful until a door popped out of nowhere.

"I was wondering where we should have our classes," Snape said in his velvety voice, "This is the Room of Requirement and as you can see it holds everything we need." He waved his hand in a wide half circle and she saw loaded shelves with D.A.D.A books, Dark detectors and other useful items. "In order to summon the room, you must walk past it three times, thinking about what you need, and a door will appear." Snape explained with a smug expression.

Alexa looked around with awe, Hogwarts held so many secrets, and you need more than a life time to discover all of them. "We shall starts from the basics, Kaiser," Snape informed her, wearing the severe expression he had on while teaching, "Disarming spells, defense spells, and then we shall progress on." His voice lingered in the air a bit too long than regular and she saw a movement under his robe. Without thinking she pointed her wand at him, yelling "Expelliarmus!"

Snape was thrown backwards by that jet of scarlet light, and his wand flew from his hands; luckily, he landed on a pile of soft pillows. He seemed almost mad when he rose to his feet and Alexa lowered her head, mumbling an apology.

"Are you going to apologize to your enemies as well, Kaiser?" Snape asked her with contempt, "You've just proved me that teaching you might not be a complete waste of time. Don't make me doubt it."

She nodded submissively, and he spoke again, "It seems you are capable of disarming. What about defense spells?" Snape inquired, his black eyes boring holes in her skull.

"I know a few. My grandfather taught me to dual when he was younger." Alexa replied, mentally smiling at the memories for happier times.

"Then I guess we can progress already." Snape said and pressed his lips tightly together. "But before that, there is something you need to understand." He told her, and the tone of his voice made her insides freeze. "Most of our work from now on will focus on active attacks. You have to mean it, Kaiser. You must intend causing damage. Even killing."

She swallowed hard, not sure she was mentally prepared for it. "More than you lack the knowledge Kaiser, you lack the intention." Snape remarked in a silky voice, his oily hair sticking to his face.

"I'm not a killer." Alexa replied in a mere whisper.

"Then you'll die," Snape stated simply, the same way Malfoy did a few days ago. And she knew they were both right. Her grip on her wand tightened and her clear eyes became murky with anger, "I shall do my best not to." She hissed back.

"Let's start with a simple one, the Patronus charm." Snape instructed and Alexa fought a chuckle as only Snape could refer to this charm as a simple one. "In order to conjure your Patronus you will need to focus on a happy thought," Snape said, seemingly disgusted by the idea, "The spell pronounced as Expecto Patronum. Give it a try."

Alexa concentrated, finding a happy thought was not as easy as it sounded. A picture of her playing in the Malfoy manor popped in her head, but she immediately erased it; this was not going to be her happy thought. She tried to think of her home, where her grandparents were waiting for her, and it was more comforting than happy but that was all she got at the moment. "Expecto Patronum!" she said loudly, knowing she lacked the intention and faith, and indeed all she managed to form a shapeless silvery mist.

"Again," Snape ordered coldly, looking at her with blank expression.

She focused again, harder; she hated being looked down at. She had to succeed, that would make her parents proud. Yes, she clung to that thought, the smiling faces of her parents she remembered mostly from pictures. At her fourth, she no longer produced a vague mist; an ethereal snake was making his way towards Snape. Its form was not perfectly defined, but it was a major progress. Only then she noticed how exhausting this spell was.

"A snake," Snape mumbled rather curiously, "A true Slytherin indeed." He added with a tight smile, and watched as her Patronus faded. "Again." He ordered.

She sought for every joyful memory she had, pictured her the most blissful moment she could find, mustered every drop of concentration she had, again, and again. And then a few more times. Snape was twice as demanding as he was in class, much more meticulous, far more critical and jut as cruel. He made her practice that spell until her legs barely carried her weight, until her head throbbed and her mouth was sore and dry; this lesson drenched all her powers.

"We shall end our lesson here," Snape finally uttered, following the track of her nearly corporeal Cobra, "Practice that until our next lesson." He instructed her and she nodded, "Obviously, I expect you to master all the spells in their nonverbal form as well." He added casually, walking towards the doors.

"Yes, professor." She said humbly, "Thank you."

They walked in silence for a while, Alexa returning to the Slytherin dormitories, and Snape assumingly back to his office. When they've reached a fork where their roads parted Snape said with a blank tone, "The last one was almost satisfying."

She could not help but smile, it was between rare and unheard of for Snape to compliment a student; she felt a warm sense of pride spreading in her stomach. He walked away without another word and she dragged her feet, fantasizing about a relaxing shower and a decent sleep. As expected from her misfortunate life, things would never go smoothly. She took a careless right turn, her mind occupied with thought, only to crush into something hard, fall backwards and hit the cold floor with a painful cry. She looked up to see a pair of evil gray eyes, and a sly grin.

"What are you doing outside the dormitories at the middle of the night?" Malfoy asked, leaning against a nearby wall and crossing his arms.

"I could ask you the same question." Alexa hissed, pushing her torso up, to sitting position. Her elbow was aching terribly and it was all because of that sod.

"This is none of your business." He said in a low, dangerous voice, flames burning in his usually stony eyes. She examined him, this tone was very unlike him, it gave out his mental distress. The Malfoy she knew would drawl, sneer, seem indifferent but now he looked like a snake, second before he stings.

"I couldn't say I'm truly interested," she replied calmly, rubbing her elbow. Her statement somehow eased him, the tension in his body reducing, and to her utter surprise a hand was stretched for her to take. She eyed him suspiciously, suspecting it was some kind of prank and he said, "The slightest manners my mother succeeded in teaching me." He said with a lopsided smile, and Alexa was tempted to smile back at him, just like the old days. She took his hand, but her expression remained blank and she snatched it from his grip as soon as she was back on her feet. She gave him one last look of disappointment and walked away.


	4. Alive

**Chapter 4 : Alive**

Alexa watched Slughorn with the slightest scorn as he kept asking for the company of those he believed to be of wealthy, successful and well connected families, though it did raise an eyebrow when he ignored Malfoy. She could only blame it on the fact that his name was associated with the Dark Lord, and that Slughorn preferred to avoid socializing with Death Eaters and their families.

She returned to focus on her potion, making an attempt at the Draught of Living Dead, which was the strongest sleeping potion; it was far more difficult than anything they did before. Everybody around her seemed to be in frenzy, working fast and doing their best, but not out of a purely academic wish to succeed. The prize offered to the one conducting the best potion was a tiny bottle of Felix Felicis, or in simpler terms, liquid luck. Alexa appeared to be the only one who did not strive to win that desirable prize. A tiny bottle of Felix would not solve any of her problems; she thought gloomily, she needed a commercial quantity to live through this current year.

She followed the book's instructions quite precisely though she did make a few minor changes, using a few tricks her grandmother had taught her. She was done cutting the roots, and carefully scooped it into the cauldron, watching potion turn into a pale shade of lilac. She began to stir counterclockwise, as the book instructed, and raised her eyes to look at Malfoy who seemed desperate to succeed; she could come up with a few reasons for him to want the Felix. On her left, Potter seemed to do outstandingly well, especially for someone who had difficulties making potion since his very first year. She noticed that she had stopped stirring it while she was lost in her thought; apparently it had a good affect. Taking a gamble, she stirred a few times counterclockwise than paused, her potion was much clearer than most of the others. Since she had no real desire to earn Slughorn's attention she decided to test what would happen if she stirred one time clockwise, not worried about messing up the potion. To her utter surprise, her potion turned a pale shade of pink, and so she continued to add that occasional reverse stir.

Slughorn gave her an approving nod, but announced Potter as the winner; she could not argue, he did better even if not by much. She had admitted to herself that being beaten by Potter was stingingly insulting, though she did better than Granger, who seemed to be losing her cool at Potter's sudden success. But it was the devastated look on Malfoy's face which bothered her the most, noticing his shiny forehead, covered with droplets of sweat.

From one class to another, grabbing a few bites at lunch and then using the spare time to study, before going to the afternoon classes and returning to the common room only to drown in endless homework assignments. Nonverbal spells was not only used in D.A.D.A classes anymore, but were required for Charms and Transfiguration as well; she could not help but be amused at the flustered, straining faces of the students while trying to cast them. It did not come easily for her as well, she had put tremendous amount of hours practicing it alone, just so she would not look as ridiculous as they did. The material taught to them was getting unbelievably complex and confusing, the classes ever so demanding and if the pressure was not enough, she had her lessons with Snape, draining every drop of energy from her.

It soon led her to exhaustion, she had decided to give up on a trip to Hogsmeade just for a peaceful day in the castle, allowing her to go over the recent material once more and prepare her assignments. She woke up relatively late, after everybody had already left for Hogsmeade, and tiredly made her way to the common room, expecting it to be empty. However, she was up for surprise; on her favorite chair near the fireplace sat Malfoy, rubbing his temple with his fingers and obviously troubled.

"Why are you here, Malfoy?" she asked curtly, and he nearly jumped from his seat hearing her voice.

"Detention with McGonagall," he replied shortly, "I haven't completed two assignments for Transfiguration." He added, looking miserable. She narrowed her eyes at him, was he sick? He just gave her a straight forward answer, no nasty comments attached. "What about you?" he inquired, lifting his head to look at her.

"I'm just tired." Alexa replied honestly, "and I love the castle when it's not so crowded."

Malfoy gave her a thoughtful look, "You do seem to overwork yourself lately." He remarked in a voice that was almost pleasant, "Though I do suspect that you're practicing more than just your regular homework." He shared, his stony eyes searching her face for a hint.

"I guess we both have our secrets, Malfoy." Alexa said with a twisted grin, her eyes focusing on his left arm. "Do you need my help with finishing up Transfiguration?" she offered kindly, though the reason of why she did so was beyond her.

His face wore expression of utter surprise that slowly transformed into suspicion and eventually returned to distress. "I'd appreciate that," he told her while getting off the chair and walking towards her, "But I need your help in something of greater importance." He said darkly, and Alexa felt a shiver run down her spine. He waved his wand, casting some sort of spell, and lowered his voice to a whisper, not wanting to be heard.

"He wishes to see you," Malfoy said with slightly shaky voice.

Alexa shook her head violently, unable to form a logical sentence, the day she dreaded came sooner than she expected. "If I can't complete this simple task, he'd kill me." Malfoy hissed, and she saw the desperation in his eyes.

Alexa breathed deeply, biting her lower lip; why was she even considering risking her neck for Malfoy? For the same reasons her father had risk his life for Lucius, she answered her own question wryly. "Where?" was all she could utter.

"Malfoy Manor," he replied, a nonce of sadness in his voice. Alexa closed her eyes tightly, wishing that when she opened them Malfoy would not be standing there, hoping that none of this was really happening. "Tomorrow."

She looked away from him, unable to bare his anxious stare. She knew it was not only him that was in danger, but also Narcissa, who she still cared for. "Fine." She finally agreed and he let out a sigh of relief. She gave him one last look, searching his face for the boy she once knew, searching for the reason to her sudden kindness. No, it was more like madness, as the odds were slim that she would step out of the manor alive. Then again, running away was never her way of handling things.

That dreadful tomorrow seemed to arrive devilishly fast; she wondered if she had used the last day of her life properly. Seeing as she mainly occupied herself with school tasks, she believed she could have passed it in a more pleasant ways. She chuckled as thoughts of her assignment grades troubled her mind as she and Malfoy reached the manor, she assumed she must be mentally disturbed if these were her final thoughts. In her twisted mind, being rebuked by McGonagall was worse than dying.

She looked around at the enormous yard, not much had changed since the last time she was there, six years ago. But as they progressed towards the house she could feel the differences, this place always had a dark aura to it but it was also her second home, now however, it felt foreign. She inhaled deeply but instead of calming her, the freezing air only caused her lungs to burn. Her hand clenched her chest trying to ease the sickening sensation, only to feel the pounding of her racing heart, she was terrified. If Malfoy noticed her fear, he did nothing to show it, only knocked on the door and repeated a password when he was asked. They were let in.

The lightening inside was dimmer than she remember, but something bright had immediately filled her eyesight. Coming towards her was Narcissa Malfoy, thinner and paler than she remembered, and stunningly beautiful nonetheless. Before Alexa could utter anything, the light haired one had pulled her into a hug, somewhat melting the frost that hurt her lungs. "My little girl," Narcissa whispered, gently stroking Alexa's hair, who gave into her motherly touch.

A second later they parted, and Narcissa's soft expression hardened when she said "He's waiting for you." Alexa had to scream at her body to move, ordering one leg to take a step forward then the other. She felt as if someone had nailed her to her place, she felt like she wanted to sprint out of there right that moment, but she accepted with angst that it was too late. She entered a room full of people, few which she recognized, others were complete strangers, and in the middle of them all she spotted him. She once saw in photos what a handsome lad he was, but he had long lost his pleasant features. The Dark Lord was the embodiment of evil, those red slants to call eyes, squashed nose, the evilly thin lips of his, giving him a snake like appearance.

"Alexa Augusta Kaiser," he muttered, "Kind of you to grace us with your presence." He continued, his voice fill out the deathly silence in the room. "As beautiful as your mother was."

She was still among the living if it was not for you, Alexa thought to herself. She could feel him trying to access her mind, and she fought against his rude intrusion with all her might, like she had practiced with Snape. She noticed an almost unnoticeable twitch of his lips. "Thank you." She replied dully.

"You've come to an age when you can proudly continue your parents' role," he informed her, making her heart skip a beat, "And prove yourself loyal to their cause."

She could not help but grit her teeth, as a wave of anger flushed through her. Her expression remained calm, though. "No." she said quietly.

Disbelief flooded the people in the room, and she could see Narcissa shooting her a frightened look. "What was it that you said?" he questioned her, his voice noticeably louder than before.

"I said no." Alexa repeated in a clear voice, causing a few gasps and hisses among the crowd, "I have lost enough for your cause, and I shall not lose anymore." she said coldly, surprised by the courage she suddenly discovered in herself.

"There are consequences," he warned her, a dangerous sparkle in his red blooded eyes.

"Then I will deal with them." She replied firmly.

His face twisted in the most horrible way and his stare stopped her heart from beating, but she stared right back at him nonetheless, showing no fear. "Be that way." He said blankly, and Alexa nodded shortly and turned around in attempt to leave the room. Her way was blocked by a Death Eater she recognized yet could not recall his name; it did not matter, before he managed to fetch his wand she had already hexed him, walking over his rigid body without a blink.

"We should kill her!" Bellatrix screamed angrily, but was quickly silenced by the Dark Lord.

"Not now Bella, we have more important things to attend." He said in an emotionless voice, "She would get her punishment soon enough."

She felt tears rolling down her cheeks as soon as she left the manor behind, firstly, one little drop and then a rain of them, wetting her cheeks, sliding into her mouth, blinding her sight. Her knees were shaky, her breath shallow and irregular, and her mouth completely dry with the exception of the few tears that left a salty taste. She inhaled deeply, like the first breath you take after a long dive, and the cool evening air filled her with life; she was never that happy to be alive.

**Let me know what you think!**


	5. Battle

**It's getting darker! **

**Alexa got herself into serious trouble, and she's only up for more. **

**Review!**

* * *

**Chapter 5 : Battle**

She could not sleep that night, and was restless the day after. She heard vague, contradicting rumors about Katie Bell's incident; Bell was transferred to St. Mungo's and Alexa had an ominous feeling regarding the ones involved in that so called accident. It was the first time in her life that she was not entirely focused on her studies, she only waited for the day to end so she could go outside and take a long, relaxing walk. After her last period she did not go to the common room as she always did, but exited the castle to wander across the lawns, straying a little too far than she should have, finally sitting herself down near the lake.

It was dark already, and chili as well, she hugged her knees close to her chest and let the peaceful atmosphere wash her; the lake glittered beautifully, reflecting the starlight and the calming silence was almost hypnotizing. She noticed some other presence only when said one came to sit by her; she mentally rebuked herself for her carelessness and lack of vigilance. "I underestimated you. You're completely insane." She heard that familiar voice drawl, and without looking at his face she could imagine exactly what kind of smile he had on.

"It's a bit insulting," Alexa replied, faking a hurt expression. "I thought you knew me better than that."

"I used to." Malfoy said, his voice significantly different than the one he used in public, "How come we ended like that?"

"We grew up to be different people," Alexa answered flatly.

"No." his voice was firm. "It's started awhile before we reached Hogwarts. You stopped coming to the manor."

"I did." She confirmed, looking at her nails with grown interest.

"Why?" his question hung in the air for a few good minutes.

"Because I suddenly realized…I was old enough to notice all the things that you had and I didn't." Alexa said, her voice slightly breaking, "It was painful to see you with your parents, when I had none. So I backed away."

"So you chose to be even more alone?" Malfoy asked, searching for logic in her action.

"Yes." Alexa said very quietly, "Ever since then, I chose to be alone. It's really not that bad once you get used to it." she added with a wave of her hand, "That's not all, though. You were a different person the moment you set your foot at Hogwarts."

Malfoy opened his mouth to protest when Alexa silenced him with an angry glare. "I know you since we were babies. You were always on the mischievous side but you were never evil. And each year that went by you became colder, crueler, until I couldn't stand looking at the boy I once fancied so much." She said with disappointment, and he turned his gaze away from her, looking at the woods behind them.

"This is how Malfoys should be like," he said flatly, "This is who my father taught me to be. Never to show weakness or compassion, and always act as if we're better than anyone else."

"And look where this attitude got him. A suite in Azkaban." Alexa said sarcastically.

Malfoy was surprisingly silent. She looked at him, trying to see what all the other girls saw in him. It was an understatement that he was good looking, but many of the girls she knew worshiped the ground he had walked on. His face was too pointed, sharp edged, and she always thought his forehead was too big. And now he looked thinner than ever, causing him to look sick.

"Would you stop bleaching your hair to oblivion?" she asked with a laugh, "And stop gluing your hair, I hate it when it pulled backwards like that!" he voice was almost whiny as she reached for his hair and ruffled it. He gave her a deadly glare and she pulled her hand back waiting for him to yelled her or hex her, or both. Instead, he caught her before she managed to pull it back, and held it in his own, looking at their fingers intertwined.

His expression was mortally serious when he raised his eyes to look at her, "You're not going to change your mind? About joining us?" he asked in an urgent tone.

She pulled her hand out of his grip and stared at him coldly. "No."

His gaze was focused on something over her shoulder, he looked unnerved and restless when he jumped to his feet. "You better return to the castle, Alexa." He said in a blank voice, a vague warning. She noticed it was the first time in the last few years he had addressed her by her first name. She shrugged at his comment and he walked away to the castle, leaving her to sit there, raging. It was so despicable of him; seeing the Dark Lord could not convince her to join him, he had sent her former best friend to do it. And Malfoy, how could he play on her feelings for him, their past memories, only to promote his master's interests?

It should not have surprised her. He was a Malfoy after all.

It suddenly struck her that she should have taken his advice and return to the castle; she could feel something was wrong, like a prey being watched by his predator. She grabbed her bag and rose to her feet, pulling her wand out, hidden in her sleeve, when she heard a husky voice, "Where do you think you're going, little girl?"

She turned around to see a tall, dark haired man she had seen in the Malfoy Manor just yesterday, and she could hear footsteps coming from behind her as well. "You see, our master thinks you should be punished for your feisty behavior." He continued to speak in his hoarse voice. A quick look to her back revealed another two men, one of them whom she attacked the night before. So this is how I'm going to die, she thought forlornly.

The whole thinking process lasted about a split second; she decided she was not quite ready to die at sixteen, and a virgin, and she would give them hell before they would take her down. She pointed her hidden wand at the man in front of her and screamed 'Expelliarmus' in her mind, watching the scarlet ray burst out of her wand and threw him backwards, she could not help but think that Snape would be greatly pleased by her nonverbal abilities. She immediately rolled to the side to avoid the other men's attacks, taking cover behind a nearby tree, every beat of her heart feeling like a blacksmith's hammer. Her only chance was to reach the castle, she obviously could not battle three Death Eaters simultaneously, for much longer.

She crawled on the ground, hidden by the flora near the lake, in attempt to escape to the forest, and take hiding until they lose her track, allowing her to make her way to the castle. A sudden heat burned her skin; one of them set the high reeds in fire and she threw herself into the cold lake to avoid a painful death, holding her breath beneath the water.

"Do you see her?" she heard one of them yell, and a jolt of courage mixed with insanity feeling her mind. She burst out of the water, facing the direction where the voice came from and aimed at the man this time screaming out loud "Stupefy!"

She had a split second to react before a green beam made her way towards her, just enough to utter "Protego Horribilis". She felt a sharp pain in her stomach as the defense spell had not blocked the attack entirely, but as long as she was still alive it did well enough. She ran out of the water, ducking colorful rays directed at her, before turning to face the man who hexed her, casting a spell with a low growl. She never tried that one before, she knew it was deadly dangerous and impossible to control, but it was a last resort.

A second later a roaring noise was heard, and abnormally large flames in shape of serpents crossed the lawns, directed towards her attacker. She mustered every drop of will she had to control those powerful, conscious creatures, which seemed to have a mind of their own. She exhaled through her nose, her eyes never leaving the raging army of serpents, leading them towards the terrified man, his eyes wide and torn. The only reason she could control these creatures is because she meant it, from the bottom of her cold heart, she wanted him to die. If she ever had doubts, doubts she could not take a life, they were now shattered. She could, and she did, and she enjoyed it. She was dark, darker than she dared to imagine, and mastering that spell had proved her that she was right for not submitting to the Dark Lord.

One man was stunned, the other was burnt to death and the third one was disarmed in the beginning; her next challenge was to stop those flame monsters before they would reach the forest and consume it. She felt the energy drain from her body as she forced her will upon the rebellious serpents, and the flames were slowly dying down but what was the blazing pain in her stomach?

She dared to look down for a short moment, and even in the fire's dim light she could see dark, thick liquid staining her shirt. She returned her focus to her Fiendfyre curse, telling herself she could die just after she gets rid of those monsters; when she noticed a movement near the woods. The disarmed man is not longer disarm, a thought passed through her mind, as a red ray penetrated the fire and made her back towards her in the speed of light. She had no powers left in her to protect herself, nor to move, she did not bother to close her eyes. Her ears were filled with yelling when the curse hit her, there was pain and then there was nothing.

Actually there was something. A bright light was forcing his way through her tightly shut eyelids, and she was definitely hearing the sound of talking people though she could not make out what they were saying. Her chest hurt, and her stomach and her head; it all attacked her simultaneously, causing her to grown in annoyance.

"I've seen you're awakened, miss Kaiser." A soft, warm voice mentioned, and she slightly opened her eyes to see a silvery long beard and a pair of light blue eyes, framed in glasses.

She let out under incoherent growl, and tried to move her feet and her arms, checking everything was in place and functioning. "Another few days at the infirmary and you'll be as good as new, thanks to Madam Pomfrey's excellent treatment." Dumbledore assured her.

"Unbelievable." Alexa murmured, wandering how she had survived.

"Quite unbelievable, I must agree," he said with a hint of a chuckle, "I do believe we have a few things to discuss when you're better."

She nodded submissively, and he informed her, "You have a few visitors, if you feel well enough."

"I'm good." She replied, half lying. She let her tired eyes close, resting for a moment, and when she opened then again a severe looking Snape was hovering over her bed.

"It's satisfying to see my time wasn't waste on you, Kaiser." He told her with his irritatingly soft voice, a sneer on his face. Only Snape could make a comment like that after Alexa merely escaped death. "Though I could not help but notice you used a spell I certainly didn't teach you." His lips were pressed tightly together, his stare accusing.

"I'm sorry, professor." Alexa whispered, lowering her eyes.

"We discussed you unnecessary apologies already," Snape said coldly, "I had talked to your teachers, who all agreed to postpone your homework and tutor you personally, so you could catch up with the class." He informed her in a formal tone. "Once you're well, we shall continue our personal lessons." He added in a lower voice, then turned around and left, without a word. He was actually quite nice, she remarked to herself, comparing to his usual self, of course.

She woke up when Madam Pomfrey placed something on the desk beside her bed, she looked up at her questioningly and the nurse said, "Someone sent you some sweets."

"Someone?" Alexa raised an inquiring eyebrow when the nurse smiled at her warmly and said "The sender preferred to stay anonymous."

She snatched the bag and looked at its content, seeing it oddly included her most favorite sweets; Jelly Slugs and Acid Pops. It might have been a lucky guess, but she assumed it was sent by someone who knew her well, more than any of her friends did. "Malfoy." She stated, chewing on a Jelly Slug with pure bliss.

"And I didn't even need to break my promise," Madam Pomfrey smiled brightly at her, while taking of the bandages from her stomach and examining the healing wound. There was a pinkish scar where the curse hit her, and the nurse applied a thick layer of something on that area, and wrapping it in new bandages. "It would take some time, but it would fade away." She promised her, handing her a pill and a glass of water, which Alexa reluctantly took. "Oh. You have visitors!" the nurse cried out, seemingly forgotten about them for a long while.

All her friends, and many people she did not consider as friends, had already visited her and she wondered who else could show up. Her satisfied expression she had when she ate the sweets had faded away when she recognized the three students entering her room. Weasley and Potter, led by Granger paced into the room hesitantly, as if fearing she might hex them away. She did consider it.

"Hi," Granger said weakly, with a stupid wave of her hand.

Alexa nodded coldly. "How are you feeling?" the browned haired know-it-all asked, genuinely interested.

"Like I've been attacked by three Death Eaters. Funny, isn't it?" Alexa said sarcastically, a sneer playing on her lips.

"I would know how that feels." Potter said wryly, and she turned to glare at him.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear I share something in common with you, Potter." Alexa said in what sounded like a bark. Potter glanced at Granger, wondering why she had dragged him to see Alexa.

"So am I. I loathe the thought of respecting a filthy Slytherin, but I guess you have the balls." Potter said, in a voice that was far from complimenting.

Before Alexa managed to reply, Granger stepped forward. "I hope you will get well soon." She said in a calm tone, "Meanwhile, you can use my lecture notes," Granger handed her a neat, organized pile of papers. Alexa hesitated, but took it eventually. There was a long silence, Alexa and Granger were staring at each other in equally fierce looks, and it was only interrupted by Madam Pomfrey's request to let Alexa rest. Alexa looked at the notes Granger gave her, reading a few random lines; that Mudblood did a surprisingly good job.


	6. Protection

**You don't review and it makes me sad :(**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6 - Protection**

After being released from the infirmary, the return to her school routine was not all that normal. The only ones who knew what happened were the academic staff, her, Dumbledore's beloved trio Granger, Potter and Weasley, and of course Malfoy. She was absolutely sure he knew about the Death Eaters' attack, and sacrificed her life without a blink for his own personal promotion, that cunning, despicable sod.

Naturally, rumors of the incident spread faster than a fire in a forest, as the time went by, they only got more and more ridiculous. By the end of that week, she had already fought three dragons, an entire army of Death Eaters and wounded the Dark Lord himself. She did not bother to answer the endless questions she was flooded with, a simple glare was enough to scare most of the overly curious students. Nott had shaken her hand when she returned to the dormitories, and Zabini joked about moving to Ravenclaw, since being around her was mortally dangerous. She was ignored by most of the Slytherins who were involved somehow with the Dark Lord, or treated cautiously and coldly. She and Malfoy exchanged glanced when she returned from the infirmary; her glare meant murder and they had not exchanged a word since then. Outside of her house she was often stared at, and pointed at by a crowd of gossiping students; she guessed this is how it feels to be Potter.

She walked to Dumbledore's office, and stood in front of the ugly Gargoyle statue, uttering the password. His office was a large, circular room with numerous windows and even more portraits of people she believed to be the former headmasters of Hogwarts. Many delicate silver instruments rested on tables scattered in the room, whirring and emitting small puffs of smoke, but what mostly drew her attention was the enormous amount of books completely covering the walls. "Do you like my decoration?" the headmaster asked her kindly, motioning her to take a seat in front of his desk.

"I do." Alexa replied honestly.

"I'm glad you approve of it." he said, and there was not a nonce of sneer in his voice. "I think its best cut to the point so you can attend to your school work as soon as possible," a mug of hot chocolate suddenly appeared before her, "Let's start from the beginning, when you arrived at Malfoy Manor."

She almost choked on her hot chocolate when he said it so casually, how would he know about that? "Who informed you of Voldemort's desire to see you?"

Alexa closed her mind, focusing on how sweet and warm the hot chocolate felt in her mouth, it's been ages since she last had one. She cleared any thought she had regarding that night, remaining calm and calculated, blocking her emotions and wonders. "Apparently Professor Snape had been teaching you too well, Alexa," Dumbledore commented with an amused smile, "This is an impressive Occlumency you perform here."

"How do you know about those lessons?" Alexa inquired.

"Snape had consulted me in this matter." He answered simply, taking a sip from his tea.

She felt a sting of betrayal, but she should have known Snape would report to Dumbledore. She sure hoped the headmaster was the only one Snape reported to, though seeing she was still alive, she had a good reason to hope so. "Your loyalty to Malfoy, despite the way you must feel towards him now, is quite admirable." He remarked behind his silvery glasses, his light eyes looking her softly.

Alexa sighed, Dumbledore knew everything, probably more than she did. "Malfoy had asked me to come to the manor, and I agreed, knowing his life was on the line." Alexa said reluctantly, "I really don't know why I did it. I guess I thought my father would have done it too. I refused the Dark Lord's proposal to take my parents' place."

"And why would you decline such tempting offer?" Dumbledore asked curiously, and she wondered whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"Most of my family had died while serving him, I do not feel oblige to sacrifice my own blood. I do not wish to serve a master; I prefer to make my own decisions. And I couldn't care less about his cause or vision." Alexa replied defiantly.

"I could not pretend I'm not surprised Alexa," Dumbledore confessed, "It's rare to see someone, whose legacy associated strongly with the dark side, turns his back so boldly on it. However, my delight is much greater than my surprise."

Alexa watched him quietly, occasionally taking a sip from her drink, until he asked her to continue her story, "I left the manor unharmed, and returned to Hogwarts. On the night after, I sat by the lake when Malfoy came by, and we had a friendly chat. By the end of our conversation, he asked me if my decision is final. He walked away after I declined the offer once again, advising to return to the castle." She paused, she forgot how tiring it was to talk, "I lingered beside the lake for a while until I began to feel I was being watched. I drew my wand and a man I saw in the manor came from the direction of the forest, saying that the Dark Lord had ordered to punish me for my disrespectful behavior."

She placed the mug on the table, as her hands began to shake. "I disarmed him and took cover behind a tree, then attempted to hide in the high reeds and make an escape to the forest. Two other men that accompanied him had set the reeds on fire, so I jumped to the lake. I dove until I reached shallow water and stunned one of the men. I used Protego to block the other man's attack but it worked only partially." She said in a flat voice, unconsciously holding her stomach.

"And then you decided to use Fiendfyre curse, dark magic that I have no idea where you learnt." Dumbledore noted, and to her surprise he did not seem angry with her.

"It seemed…fit." Alexa said hesitantly, "I was desperate, I knew I couldn't last long against three experienced wizards. I wanted to live."

"This is completely understandable." Dumbledore confirmed.

"I ordered the fire to burn the third Death Eater, and struggled to stop the untamed flames before they reached the forest. The last thing is saw was the man I disarmed hexing me."

"Fiendfyre is difficult to cast, and much more difficult to control even for experienced wizards, let alone sixth year students. You seem to have a talent for the dark arts." Dumbledore remarked, fixing his glasses. "When we reached the lawns, the fire was dying down, and the three men were dead." He informed her, and her eyes almost popped out of her eyeballs. "I know it wasn't you who killed the other two men."

Alexa bit her lip as the images of the burning Death Eaters popped in her mind, and even worse, the great triumph she felt at the sight. "Dare and take a guess who killed them?"

Alexa pondered, who could have possibly known about it, kill her attackers and then disappear? She scowled at the answer she came up with, "Malfoy."

"Yes, that would be my guess as well." Dumbledore agreed, his expression slightly less cheerful than before, "though I have no prove of it, and I must say I'm not looking for one." He added with a grin.

"If it comes out, Malfoy is dead, and so is Narcissa." Alexa analyzed coolly, "I don't mind taking the responsibility for their deaths." She said with a shrug. "They are already after me, better give them a decent reason."

"Young Mr. Malfoy is going through a rough period. He had been given a task that I doubt he could handle," he shared with a tired voice, and Alexa examined his face, suddenly realizing how much he aged in the past few months, "I let him go on with his plan, trying to minimize the harm, though I'm not always successful," he said gloomily, and Alexa wondered if he was referring to the unfortunate incident of Katie Bell.

"I know he's in distress," Alexa said, slightly too softly than she intended, "This is the Dark Lord's way to get back at Lucius for failing." She stated, feeling nauseas at the thought of this despicable act.

"This is quite sharp observation you made," Dumbledore said with a playful expression. "You seem to notice a lot of things. The question is, what will you do now?"

"I have considered my options; none of them is to my liking." Alexa said thoughtfully, her lips pressed in irritation, "but one of them might allow me to survive this war." She admitted unwillingly, "and it's to ask for your protection."

"And what can you offer me in return?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"I would fight him. You've seen what I'm capable of." She said coldly, almost arrogantly.

Dumbledore chuckled softly and looked her with a fatherly gaze, "Anyone who oppose Voldemort is worthy of my protection, Alexa. I will not ask for a sixteen year old girl, as talented as she might be, to fight for me."

"I'm not fighting for you, sir," Alexa said flatly, "I'm fighting against him."

He chuckled again at her remark, examining her with his wrinkled face; everything about him made you want to trust him. "There is more I must ask you." Alexa said, her tone urgent.

"Malfoy's safety, and his mother's." Alexa said hesitantly, "If I could talk him out of his stupid notions about following his father's footsteps."

Dumbledore remained silent for a while, his gaze vague and thoughtful, "You surprised me once again," he admitted, caressing his long beard, "You have my word for it." he promised her.

She nodded, wondering how to convince Malfoy to switch sides, when the headmaster asked if she had other matters she would like to discuss. She had not. "Then you are free to go, but do try not to stray too far from the castle," he requested with a wink. She left his office with a hopeful smile. There was always a way.

She had noticed that Malfoy disappeared more and more often, and every time she saw him, he seemed more ill looking and troubled. He was absent during that dinner as well, and she hated to admit she was worried because of him. She grabbed a green apple and put it in her bag, walking towards the seventh floor, to practice a few spells in the Room of Requirement. When she climbed the stairway to the sixth floor, she saw Malfoy walking in her direction. His eyes darted, looking for a way to avoid her, but their encounter was inevitable.

She stopped in front of him, forcing him to halt his pace as well, and looked at him without the fury that characterized her glares lately. "You missed dinner again," she noted, lowering her eyes to the ground, and then turned to roam her bag, handing him the green apple.

He looked confused. He also seemed on the verge of crying, like someone who had forgotten what it was like to be treated nicely. He took the apple with gratitude and said, "You remembered."

Alexa rolled her eyes, of course she did. He was crazy for green apples when he was a child. "You remembered my great liking for Jelly Slugs and Acid Pops." She mentioned, swearing she could see a pinkish glow on his pale cheeks.

He rubbed his neck with his unoccupied hand, appearing a bit goofy. "I guess there are things that are hard to forget." He said vaguely.

She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and took his hand in hers. "What you did that night… I would never forget." She said in a mere whisper, giving him a meaningful look. His expression turned from confusion, to terror mixed with embarrassment. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek before releasing his hand from her grip and walking away from him, leaving him to stand alone in the corridor.


	7. Christmas

**Another update!**

**Be the adorable girls/boys you are, and leave a comment :) **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 7 : Christmas**

Alexa crossed the Great Hall, noticing Hagrid was dragging a giant fir; the preparations for Christmas had already begun. He paused for a moment, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead and tugging a dirty strand of wild hair behind his ear, and then lifted the tree once more. Unlike most of the Slytherins, Alexa was quite fond of Hagrid, especially after the Hippogriff incident on their third year. She aimed her wand and with an accurate wave and a tip, and made the tree hover over the ground, helping Hagrid in his Sisyphean work.

"No magic allowed outside of the classrooms, Miss Kaiser," a silky voice was heard behind her, "You just lost ten points for Slytherin." Snape informed coldly.

"But, Professor, I was –" Alexa began to explain when Snape rudely cut in, "No buts, miss Kaiser, unless you wish to get a detention."

"Yes, Professor," Alexa replied submissively, and let out a grown once Snape was far enough.

"Kaiser, wait up!" Someone called for her, and she saw Zabini making his way towards her in a nonchalant walk. If he asked her to wait for him, he could at least speed up his pace, but it was Zabini after all, and he had to make sure all the girls could take a glimpse at his aristocratic features.

"Hi Zabini," she greeted him with a tight smile.

A flashed her a shiny smile, revealing his perfect teeth, "How are you doing?" he asked with a strangely caring voice, making her suspicious.

"I'm doing fine, but I'm being late for McGonagall's class." Alexa replied shortly, slightly nervous.

"I'm going to Transfiguration as well," Zabini said with smirk on his full lips, "Let's walk together." He suggested linking his arm with hers, to her great surprise.

"Slughorn throws a Christmas party, and sadly I cannot avoid this sorry event," Zabini told her in a arrogant tone, "We are allowed to bring guests," he made a somewhat dramatic pause, "I wondered if you will accompany me, and make this evening more bearable." They stopped in front of McGonagall's class, and he watched her with his slanted eyes, without the slightest anxiety.

Before she was able to reply she was shoved from behind, and a furious Malfoy stormed into the classroom. Zabini caught her before she fell, holding gently on her hand. "I'd love that, Blaise." She replied with a flirty smile and they walked together into the classroom, crucified by Malfoy's deadly glares.

Transfiguration lessons were getting harder each week, and they had just dove into the dreadfully difficult topic of human transfiguration; Alexa stared at her reflection in the mirror, focusing on changing the color of her eyebrow. Her eyebrows were light colored, almost invisible, just like her bright hair; after she casted the spell she was the proud owner of two purple eyebrows. Blaise gave her an examining look, "Exotic, but I do prefer your natural look." He commented with a smirk.

McGonagall gave her an approving nod, and tipped her wand gracefully, returning Alexa's eyebrows to their natural color. Meanwhile, the clumsy Weasley had managed to give himself a dreadful mustache, causing Granger and a few other to laugh. The red headed klutz was apparently offended by Granger's amusement, and revengefully made an accurate impression of Granger, who was restless in her seat with her hand high up in the air every time McGonagall asked a question. Alexa found it childish and cruel, and Granger seemed to be holding back tears; when the class ended she could hear Granger's sobs from the girl's bathroom.

Frost coated the window panes, and snowy layer covered the green lawns, like a soft blanket; Alexa smiled, she loved the winter. It was actually the autumn she loved the most, those warm shades of brown and reds and gold, the half naked trees and the moody, unstable weather. But winter was a close second, and pure white snow induced a blessed serenity, calming the stormy feeling in her heart. It was Christmas.

She walked with Blaise to Slughorn's office, where the party took place, wearing a flattering black dress that showed just enough skin, under her cloak. On her neck she wore a platinum necklace, set with emeralds; a piece of jewelry that had been passed through her family for hundreds of years. Blaise seemed satisfied, and it was far from trivial, he had been known to be very picky with his girls, and his approval was like a quality mark.

Slughorn's office was significantly larger than any other office she had been to in Hogwarts, and was overly decorated with colorful hanging, making her feel as if she accidentally arrived to a eight year old birthday party. The lightening was red, negatively associating with the infamous red-light district, and the room was crowded beyond comfort. Slughorn was forcing his company on a desperate looking Potter, and Alexa exchanged glances with Blaise, sharing an unspoken understanding.

They had very few moments of peace before Slughorn had spotted Zabini, motioning him to join him in the further corner of the room; Blaise looked at her apologetically and they made their way towards him. Alexa could not help but notice the many stares they were receiving; they were an interesting pairing, a beautiful contradiction between Alexa's pale glow and Blaise's dark charm. "Zabini my dear, it so nice of you to join us." Slughorn said cheerfully, "And you brought the lovely Kaiser with you, I see." He remarked, taking a better look at her. "You seem to be our latest hero." Slughorn wrapped a patronizing arm around her shoulder.

"I would never dream of stealing Potter's glory." Alexa replied sarcastically, and ever so gracefully slipped out of Slughorn's grip. Potter seemed rather not amused by her comment.

"Feisty girl you've got here, Zabini."Slughorn said with a wide grin, and Blaise nodded coldly.

Shortly after the conversation returned to concentrate around Potter; how well he had been doing in potions and how he aspired to be an Auror. It was devastatingly boring and the sole entertainment was Snape's contemptuous comments and the nasty glares he gave Potter. She looked around, recognizing a few famous people, who were likely to be Slughorn's former students. She prayed for a miracle to salvage her from that tedious evening that even Blaise's enjoyable company could not save. Surprisingly, her prayers had been answered, as a smirking Argus Filch approached them, dragging Malfoy the ear.

Alexa frowned as Filch reported Malfoy had been lurking in the corridors, claiming he was invited to the party. That was absurdly unlike him, to crash a party he was not invited to; Malfoy's pride would never allow him to, and he seemed to have very little interest in slughorn's clique whatsoever.

She was surprised to see the tension between Snape and Malfoy; they always seemed fond of each other. She had fought the urge to puke each time Malfoy was sucking to Snape, and now seeing Malfoy so mad and hostile towards his beloved professor was quite shocking. She watched Malfoy, his skin fading into a gray shade, his cheeks sunken, looking even closer to a breakdown than the last time she saw him. Her gaze shifted to Potter who was completely fascinated, mesmerized to the scene; he also noticed the acute deterioration in Snape and Malfoy's relations.

Reluctantly, Malfoy followed Snape, who wished to have a word with him; Alexa was curious about the content of that conversation. In any other day she would try and eavesdrop, but she could not leave Blaise's without looking suspicious. A moment later potter disappeared, and Alexa bet on her family's fortune that he had followed Snape and Malfoy.

"I wonder what is going over Malfoy, lately." Blaise said thoughtfully, and for a moment it seemed like he cared for someone other than himself.

"I'm sure you know what's Malfoy is going through," Alexa said, she knew Blaise and Malfoy were on friendly terms.

Blaise looked around before answering. "I know he was given a mission by the Dark Lord," he told her, his voice significantly lower, "But he would not tell us what it is."

"Obviously he can't trust you anymore," Alexa replied bitterly, "You're not wearing the mark on your arm,"

Blaise sighed deeply, and gave her a serious look with his slanted, brown eyes. "Actually, this is a time where he needs his friends the most, even though he pushes them away." He said in despair, "It's people like you he needs, and not that useless cow, Parkinson."

Alexa grinned at his last comment, "I thought you were in good terms with her."

"I'm putting up with her only because Malfoy does." Blaise said, "She's a leech, she's ignorant, and worst of all, she's ugly."

Alexa laughed at his priorities; if Parkinson was good looking, Blaise would have forgiven her for all of her other faults. She excused him, supposedly leaving for the bathroom, when she actually made her way to Snape's office, hoping to encounter Potter on his way back. Not far from Slughorn's office, she almost bumped into him.

"Tell me what you heard, Potter." She cut straight to the point, surprising him.

"And why should I?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow, slightly hostile.

"Because you will be serving Dumbledore's interests," she replied. It was vaguely true, and she knew it was the only way to convince Potter.

He watched her suspiciously, weighing her words. "How exactly?" he asked, a little less aggressively than before.

"I have my own mission," Alexa said ambiguously, "You can ask Dumbledore yourself."

Potter hesitated, his eye darting, making sure the corridor was empty. "Malfoy is suspected to be involved in Katie Bell's incident."

"Figures." Alexa spat, feeling somewhat disappointed, "He was always a bit clumsy and hasty, and utterly lousy when it came to planning things." She remarked bitterly, "What else?"

"Malfoy has some kind of a mission, and Snape offered his help. Said something about the unbreakable vow." Potter told her, looking unnerved.

"You seem troubled, Potter." Alexa mentioned, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"Of course I am!" he cried out, "Snape was just offering to aid Malfoy! And Voldemort!"

"Don't be silly," Alexa dismissed his anxiety, "Snape was ordered to keep an eye on Malfoy."

"I don't trust him." Potter stated, "This vow he made…"

Alexa sighed. "I assume he made the vow because Narcissa asked him to," she said slowly, "Her family's safety is above any other cause, and she loves Malfoy dearly. Snape would be the perfect man to protect Malfoy, as he is also a close friend of Lucius."

"You know quite a lot about them." Potter said, accusation in his voice.

"They raised me," Alexa said with a grin, making Potter shudder.

"I don't trust you, either." He declared, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm really not bothered." Alexa said coldly, and turned around, returning to the party. She smiled brightly at Blaise when she spotted him, and they danced for awhile, letting her examine from close distance his exotic features; the high cheek bones, the dark, smooth skin and his deep brown eyes. Somehow all of that did not attract her, ad her thoughts kept wandering to Malfoy, and how she should talk to him, as soon as possible.


	8. New Year's Resolutions

**This is a sweet chapter. But it is going to get darker.**

**I have a clear vision of where this story is going, and there are very few happy moments. **

**Just warning you.**

**Thank you Yana and Icarus for reviewing :)**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 8 - New Year's Resolutions**

Alexa had never been so popular in her life, never got more attention than she did that winter. Since the mysterious encounter with the Death Eaters, and the interest Blaise had been showing in her, she was noticed and approached by many other people. She could actually choose whom she wanted to spend the New Year's Eve with; Anthony Goldstein, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini all asked her out. She turned Goldstein and Nott down without much uncertainty, but when Blaise asked her she was hesitant.

"What exactly is the meaning of being your date?" Alexa inquired, biting her lower lip.

Blaise sighed deeply, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I want to spend this evening with the prettiest girl in Hogwarts." Blaise smirked, revealing a row of prefect, shiny teeth, "It doesn't have to mean anything."

Alexa rolled her eyes at his compliment. "Why are you interested in me?" Alexa asked with a fierce expression, "You do realize nothing will happen between us." She stated bluntly.

Blaise laughed at her statement. "Don't be so sure." He winked her, "I just like classy things, Alexa." He confessed, "And you're a classy girl. And there's the benefit of pissing off other guys, like that Ravenclaw prick Goldstein, or even better, Malfoy." Blaise said with great amusement.

"God, Blaise, you such a git," Alexa said, but she seemed to be amused as well. "I really think Malfoy couldn't care less though."

"Come on, you're the smartest student in our year and you can't figure it out?" Blaise gave her a look of disbelief, "Have you missed the part where he almost knocked you over when I asked you to join me in Slughorn's party?"

"Well, I really don't think Malfoy needs a reason to be a sod," Alexa said reasonably.

Blaise laughed at her comment, "I forgot to mention that I appreciate your humor and find your company enjoyable, when you asked me why I find you interesting."

Alexa gave him a tight smile, and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, "You see Blaise, this is the first thing you should say to a girl when you answer that question." Alexa said slowly, as if teaching a mentally retarded student, "You have a long way to go, but it's a step in the right direction."

"It doesn't matter what I say. Its how I look," Blaise said with a smug expression, "I don't have to do anything but be as insanely handsome as I already am."

Alexa rolled her eyes at his vain comment and glanced at the clock, "Come on, we'll be late for Charms. I'm dying to see what damage that moron Weasley would cause this time." Alexa said maliciously, earning a chuckle.

New Year's Eve came with a blink of an eye, Alexa felt like the entire week had shrunk into few hours. She managed to complete most of her homework, catch up with the class on what she missed when she was at the infirmary, attend a Lesson with Snape and practice for an hour every day in the Room of Requirement. She rarely saw Malfoy; he had quit the Quidditch team and neglected entirely his duties as prefect, he was also missing in many classes. She could not tell where he went or what he did, and it seems like even Crabbe and Goyle did not know; she heard them arguing a few times, when Malfoy had asked them to keep a lookout and they demanded to know what he was up to. On the rare occasions she did see him, he looked like a nervous wreck, and whatever he was trying to do, apparently it did not go so well.

Blaise held her hand gently, leading her to the Great Hall, where a modest yet very joyful ball was taking place. Dumbledore had given a short speech, vague and a little bizarre as always, before a band began to play and Blaise asked her to dance. She felt calm and unworried, the notion that he only wanted to flaunt her and make people jealous, lowered the pressure and awkwardness on dates of this sort to zero. Indeed, Blaise was flashing satisfied smiles everywhere. Alexa used their moderated speed waltz around the dance floor to seek for Malfoy; she could not find him.

An hour later she excused Blaise; making her way to the bathroom. She had absolute confident that in her return, she would not find him alone. She exited the Great Hall and climbed one stair up, when she heard muffled voices, like suppressed sobs. She wondered if it was Granger again; she seemed depressed and troubled lately. She did not know why she even cared, but she followed the sounds; preparing herself to comfort a weeping Granger. She was quite surprised to discover that the quiet sobs came from the men's bathroom and could not help but peek inside, curious. In the dirty mirror in front of her, she saw a reflection of silvery blonde hair that could belong only to one. She gasped and he turned his head to watch her; his expression murderous.

He walked towards her, and exited the bathroom, shoving her out of the way in the process. Alexa was ready for that and pushed him right back into the room forcefully, pinning him against the wall. She was amazed at her own force, or was it he that was so weak?

Her hands were still clenching the collar of his shirt when he said with a sneer, "I never knew you had it in you, Alexa. That's really hot."

She immediately let loose of him, pulling her hands back, to rest at her sides. "We need to talk Malfoy." She said firmly.

"Some other time maybe." He dismissed her and began to walk out of the room again. Without thinking she grabbed him and placed him against the wall again. His expression of arrogance had traded for sheer surprise.

"No." Alexa stated, "We talk now." She waved her wand and the door closed and locked with a horrible suction noise. She mumbled a spell, ensuring this conversation was to their ears only. "I can get you out of this mess Malfoy."

He raised an eyebrow, dissembling. "What are you talking about?"

"That impossible mission the Dark Lord gave you." She replied quietly.

"I can do it." he declared, but his voice lack the confidence to sound convincing.

"No. You can't." she told him, her voice softening, "Look at you, you've aged in these last months. Your eyes are dull and desperate, your skin is gray, you're skinnier than ever. You lost your composure and cool. I've known you long enough to see that you're falling apart." Alexa said in a sad voice.

"You're wrong." He replied, but he looked defeated.

"Don't you realize that he gave you this suicide mission to punish your father for that mess in the ministry?" Alexa cried out, waving her arms in despair, "This is why I oppose him so much, look what he's doing to his own people!" she said angrily.

He did not answer, only looked away, letting his eyes shut. "I can help you out of it. I've talked to Dumbledore, he can protect you and Narcissa and –" her excited speech was cut brutally when he pulled her to him and crashed his lips on hers. His kiss was rough, hungry, desperate, so demanding it was almost painful.

Alexa was shocked; she stood there paralyzed as he ran his hand through her hair and slowly coaxed her lips open, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She felt a rush of excitement jolting through her body, she shuddered when he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. Unbelievable as it was, she found herself kissing back, her hand shyly raised to caress his face, letting him explore her mouth. Suddenly her logic kicked in and she placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away forcefully; he looked at her almost insulted.

"What was that for?" She asked him in fury.

"You didn't seem to suffer." He remarked with a smirk, looking at her like a predator.

"God, you're such a prat!" she yelled at him and made a move to leave the bathroom when he grabbed her, halting her.

"I thought it would be terribly wrong if no one kissed you on midnight of the New Year's Eve." He said in a soft tone, trying to sooth her.

"Maybe it wasn't you I intended to kiss!" she spat, glaring at him.

"Was it Blaise?" Malfoy asked, his eyes narrowed, "Are you dating him?"

"This is none of your business." Alexa hissed, arms crossed over her chest.

"Seriously?" his sneer was back, "Zabini is your type? I thought you were better than that."

"Really? So I should have fallen for you, a pitiable excuse of Death Eater, with a sever ego problems and a gloomy future?" Alexa said sarcastically, twisting her upper lip with contempt.

Malfoy was silent for a few moments, looking a bit lost; her fury died down when she saw his bloodshot eyes and scrawny figure. "Why do you bother helping me then?" he raised his eyes slowly to meet hers.

It was Alexa's turn to remain silent, she had been asking herself the same question. "Maybe it's this ridiculous loyalty that runs through our family; I'm sure my father would have done the same." She spoke in a thoughtful voice, "I also care for your mother who treated me so kindly all these years. And I'm doing it for you, for the Draco I once adored." she added, her voice weak.

"But you hate me now." He said in an icy voice, his expression unreadable.

"I…I'm not happy with who you are today." Alexa admitted, "But I'm willing to risk for the person you might become."

"That's quite a risk," Malfoy remarked with a genuine smile, something she had not seen for so long.

"Maybe I think you're worth it." She replied with a wink, and he starched his arms to pull her closer, gently lifting her chin with his thumb. He pressed his lips gently to hers, then leaned his forehead on hers, and inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. "Will you let me help you?" she asked when they pulled away.

"I will consider it." he promised, holding her hands, a spark of light returning to his gray eyes.

"I should go now." Alexa said, thinking she had abandoned Blaise for too long.

He let go off her hand, and nodded formally and she left the bathroom, emotions raging inside of her. She considered returning to the party, as she planned, but decided against it as her mental state was far from stable. She quickly made her way to the empty dormitories and collapsed to her bed, her body trembling as tears forced their way out of her eyes. Sobs escaped her lips and she placed her hand on her mouth to muffle the sound of her cry; it was so exhausting and so relieving at the same time. Alexa did not cry since she came to Hogwarts.

She suppressed her emotions for such a long time; burying every nonce of care she felt and closing her heart shut. She knew how painful it was to lose someone dear to you, and she would not risk being hurt again; she decided then to care for no one. But the walls were breaking, her defenses crumbing, and she made a vow to do anything so she would not bereave a dear one once again. She never realized how big the mission she had taken upon herself was, and even is she did, it would not change her mind.

She was going to save Malfoy, and the Dark Lord himself could not stop her.

She was after all, as stubborn and loyal as any Kaiser descendant.

**Leave a comment!**


	9. Enemies

**Chapter 9 : Enemies**

"Focus Kaiser, the Dark Lord wouldn't be as forgiving as I am," Snape growled at her as they faced each other in the Room of Requirement and he forced his way into her mind. Her face glowed in a bright shade of pink as Snape manage to peek at some of her most private moments; the worst of them was the kiss she shared with Malfoy. He had given her an arrogant smirk, a contemptuous curl of his lip, and blood rushed into her face.

But that was enough; she had to stop being so weak, stop flaunting her emotions. She was so good at masking, at hiding, at suppressing, and now it was the time to use it. She focused on a wall, a white brick wall, high and solid, her mind was a wall. She convinced herself she did not care for anyone, she did not feel any emotion, she was the wall; blank and impenetrable. "Better." He said behind greeted teeth, still trying to pry into her head, but she was ready and she kept him out.

His mental attack ceased as suddenly as it started and she let out a tired sigh; this was exhausting. "Being a talented Occlumens is not just about clearing your mind from thoughts and emotions, since it's rather obvious you're hiding something," Snape lectured her, pacing around the room, "It's about only suppressing what you don't wish others to see and thus lead them to believe you are not using Occlumency at all."

"This is how you mislead the Dark Lord…" Alexa said in a mere whisper.

Snape pressed his lips together in satisfaction, "Indeed. Now let's return to practice duels. My work revealed itself to be not as fruitless as I assumed, judging by your last encounter."

"It was sheer luck." Alexa uttered, still unsure of how she survived it.

"Well," Snape curled his lips in an unpleasant way, "Look at Potter, sheer luck had gotten him through sixteen years."

Alexa let out a bark of laughter at Snape comment; there was rarely something as amusing as Snape's sarcastic, hostile daggers he threw at potter. Alexa was on guard; she knew she had a certain difficulty with attacking first, though she did act so in the moment of truth. Thoughts from that night had hunted her frequently; that corrupting sense of power she felt, the murderous satisfaction, scared her more than the Death Eaters. She knew, that deep down, she could turn out to be just like them, if not worst.

Snape used her hesitation, and waved his wand wordlessly, she barely managed to block it, whatever it was. Dueling Snape was like a game of chess, more than anything else; she had to plan every move and yet hide her plans from his prying mind, while taking fast decisions. She had never beaten him, but her success was measure by how long she had lasted against him.

Alexa learned from Snape, and adding her natural cunningness, became a dangerous person to battle. She rolled to the side to avoid his attack and aimed her wand to the ceiling, dropping the beautiful, craftily made Chandelier, upon his head. Snape narrowly managed to escape the attack, immediately firing a purple ray at her direction. Alexa's instincts became faster, her senses sharpened and her defense was pure reflex but it was not enough this time. His next hex caught her, hitting her right in the chest, and throwing her backwards; she choked, desperately trying to breath. It felt like her lungs had disappeared.

Snape walked to her slowly, letting her panic for a little while, before whipping his wand and removing his iron grip on her respiratory; she inhaled deeply with great relief. "You're an astute fighter, Kaiser, but it's not enough," he let his words linger in the air while she collected herself, getting to her feet. "You should learn more offensive charms. Unfortunately, I've taught you everything Dumbledore approves me to teach you. From now on, you will have to learn by yourself."

Alexa looked at him anxiously. "However, I can recommend you on a few books; the ones I started with. I'm sure you'll find your way from there." He added with a bitter smile.

"Thank you, Professor." Alexa said gratefully, as Snape pulled out a quill from nowhere, summoned a desk and began to write down a list of books for her to read. She glanced at it; of course Dumbledore would not approve of it, they were all about dark magic. "So this is the end of our lessons?" she asked sadly.

His expression was sour, and he looked away from her. "The lessons will continue in one condition; I want you to come prepared for every one of them. Surprise me with something new you've learned, challenge me." He demanded, looking as severe as ever.

"Yes, Professor." Alexa said with a grin she could not hide, excited.

"We are finished for today." Snape said emotionlessly, unable to stand the happiness that beamed from Alexa, or maybe, unable to keep his indifference.

She dragged herself through the empty corridors; Hogwarts was unnervingly quiet at this late hour. She had never been so tired in her life, and she fought her disobedient eyelids, that slowly began to shut. She had gone down the stairways of the fifth floor, encouraging herself that soon enough she would reach her soft, welcoming bed and collapse to a most needed sleep. No shower even.

Her senses were dull and her reactions painfully slow and when a hand reached to her from a hidden alcove, she was too late to respond. Her scream was muted and her wand was snatched from her left pocket, where she usually held it; two strong hands held her in place and she could do nothing about it. When her eyes got accustomed to the darkness she saw two figures, masked, and after seeing the corridor was clear they dragged her to a nearby classroom. The door was magically locked behind them; she began to panic.

"Not so dangerous without your wand, right Kaiser?" one of the man spoke, his voice was familiar but heavily distorted by the mask.

Alexa glared at him, pretending to be calm, though she was beyond terrified. How did they get inside the castle? She did not respond to the degrading comment and a large hand slapped her across the face, hard, throwing her from her feet into the floor. She growled in pain and returned to her feet, preparing for the next hit.

"Still feisty. Well, we have all night to break you down." The other man said, and Alexa shivered at the horrible thought. A right punch was approaching her fast and she somehow managed to block it, but the following left hook surprised her; the pain was blinding. This time she did not return to her feet so quickly, and while she tried to gather herself on the floor, the two men laughed cruelly before kicking her ribcage, again and again.

Blood trickled from her nose and her lip, entering her mouth and leaving a salty taste; like the taste of humiliation was not enough. "You can make it easier, Kaiser," one of them spoke, "If you beg."

"I'll choose the slow death." She barked, her aching body was now shaking from fury and frustration, more than from the pain.

"Fine." He said, seemingly happy about her resistance, "Hold her still," he commanded his partner, and a second later she was brought to her feet, locked in an iron grip. She knew where this was going. She knew she could not avoid it. How foolish was she when she decided to oppose the Dark Lord so bluntly? Did she really think a sixteen year old girl can pull off this stunt?

She mentally rebuked herself for breaking so easily, her parents would be ashamed of her, no doubt. She watched with torn eyes as the man in front of her got dangerously close to her, and his hand was tracing her jaw line, and slowly lowering down her neck and the sides of her body. Her robe was striped from her, leaving her in her white blouse, shaking at what was to come. At least I would not die a virgin, a morbid thought crossed her mind. The man had brought his body even closer to her, grinding against her, and trying to tear off her shirt. That was it.

She mustered every drop of power she had and kneeled him hard in his groins, then threw her head forcefully backwards, hitting the other man's chin and struggling her way out of his grip. She made a few steps towards the door when she heard one of them scream "Crucio!"

Pain beyond pain. She collapsed to the floor, shrinking into a little miserable ball, hugging her knees to her chest. She could not help but scream at the top of her lungs, but she ran out of air soon enough. She felt daggers stab every inch of her body, she felt her insides burn, she felt her brain melting. She was drooling, saliva mixed with blood, staining her clean white blouse, her teeth were clenched together so tightly she could have broken them. But she did not beg.

The pain ceased abruptly when three other voiced yelled, "Expelliarmus", "Stupefy," and "Impedanta" simultaneously. Alexa could not believe the pain ended, a faded echo still tortured her body, making her quiver. She heard a girly gasp and two gentle hands wrapped around her bringing her to sit.

"Do I even have to see you after I die?" Alexa joked in a miserable voice, earning an amused chuckle from Wesley and Potter. Granger, who held her, looked extremely serious.

Her vision was blurry but she saw Weasley kick one of the masked men, with great pleasure, and then used his foot to move away the mask. "Isn't that surprising." He said in bliss, "Crabbe and Goyle."

"Oh, the humiliation." Alexa muttered, closing her eyes tightly. "Could you please hand me back my wand, I'm trying to muster the remains of my shattered dignity."

Potter found it in one of Goyle's pockets, and threw it to her. "What did they do to you, Kaiser?" he sounded almost as severe as Snape did.

"Some spanking, attempt at rape, and the Grand Finale – a little taste of the Cruciatus pain." Alexa counted dryly.

"That explains the horrid scream we have heard." Granger said, with a shiver. "And it seems like more than just spanking, Alexa. Let's get you to the infirmary, and Harry and Ron will kindly escort Crabbe and Goyle to Dumbledore's office."

"No," Alexa stated. "I'm not going to the infirmary, you're not taking them to Dumbledore. If we go through the accepted channels, Malfoy's fortune will buy them out in no time." she remarked, and Potter nodded bitterly. "I am going to give them humiliation they would never forget, and nor any other student in Hogwarts, and you are more than welcomed to join me." She suggested in with an evil smirk.

"I'm in." Weasley said in a cheerful voice.

"Me too." Potter grinned.

Everybody was looking at Granger, waiting for her answer. After a long silence she gave in to peer pressure. "Oh, Fine!" she finally said in annoyance.

Alexa pointed her wand to her face and said, "Episkey," healing some of the bruises in her face. She could imagine how horrible she looked even afterwards.

"So what did you have in mind for those two?" Potter inquired with a curious smile.

"Please take the two gentlemen with us," Alexa instructed them, "And followed me.

They chatted as they wandered across the deserted corridors of Hogwarts, as if nothing too serious happened minutes ago; the idea of such incidents becoming casual saddened her. "So how exactly did you find me?" Alexa asked, eyebrow raised.

"We receive a weird letter in Breakfast, asking us to keep an eye on you. So we follow you using the Marauder's Ma-" Weasley was brutally elbowed by Potter, shutting him up.

Alexa smirked. "Was it a school owl that brought you the letter?"

They all nodded. "Clever." Alexa remarked, appreciating the well planned scheme.

"You do realize this is all Malfoy's doing, right?" Potter asked her in a serious tone, "Crabbe and Goyle could never plan an ambush on their own."

Alexa laughed at his blindness. "Potter, who do you think sent you this letter?"

He shrugged, "Who could possibly know about their plan?" she asked another question, directing him towards the answer, "And know that your heroism will surely lead you to aid me?"

"Malfoy." Granger said reluctantly. "But why?"

Before Alexa could answer Potter interfered, "He's a scum, he won't help anyone. It could be any Slytherin; Blaise is quite fond of you, I noticed."

"Well," Alexa said coldly, "We will agree to disagree on that one."

Alexa halted their progress, and looked around her with great satisfactory. Her revenge was going to be sweet.

**So, do you like it?**


	10. Sweet Revenge

**Before you turn to read the chapter, I would like to complain.**

**I read more than a few HP fanfics before attempting at writing my own. **

**And I've seen absolutely horrendous stories, poorly written, corny and ... unripe, receiving over a thousand comments. **

**Care to explain this bizarre phenomenon?**

* * *

**Chapter 10 : Sweet Revenge**

Alexa smiled to herself as she put her make up in the morning, covering some of the bruises that were not completely healed by the Episkey charm. Her ribs hurt terribly, and her entire body was rigid but she still smiled; at this very moment Potter should lift the invisibility cloak from their…surprise, minutes before people start to stream down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She finished dressing up and went with the rest of the Slytherins as they made their way to the Great Hall. When they were close enough they started to hear roars of laughter, and quickened their pace to witness the source of the entertainment. She saw students lying on the ground, clenching their stomach as laughter shook their bodies until they began to tear; there was no doubt that the Gryffindors were the loudest and most joyful. She watched her fellow Slytherins; some tried to suppress their smile but soon enough gave up and sniggered gleefully. She watched Malfoy, he was on the verge of crying, letting out a chortle, his eyes glowing in silver.

On the middle of the Great Hall was a small podium; and stupefied, very naked Crabbe and Goyle were standing there in a most sexual position. She had a long argument with Potter and Weasley about whether Crabbe or Goyle would be the one bending down on his knees, standing on his fours, while the other is positioned behind him. They flipped a coin eventually; Goyle lost.

She could see their bright smiles from the other side of the hall, she returned a playful smirk. Revenge tastes better than any breakfast in the world, she thought happily, while sitting down in Slytherin's table. A raging, flustered professor McGonagall rushed into the hall, her supernatural sense for trouble guiding her, shooting angry glares to the amused students. She released them from their stun, and covered them with robes, letting Snape lead them out of the hall. "When we find out who did it, he will be severely punished, and dare I say, expelled." McGonagall threatened, leaving the hall in fury.

Alexa sat there with blank expression, choosing a delicious looking orange and starting to peel its skin, when someone sat next to her. "You're not worried, Kaiser?" Malfoy said with glee, yet kept his voice down.

"Well, you see." Alexa started answering in a nonchalant voice, "I believe they wouldn't say a word. In case they chose to talk, they would have to admit what happened pervious to that; it might ensure them a night or two at Azkaban until your father will buy them out."

Malfoy ignored the offensive remark regarding his father and asked in an urgent voice, "Azkaban?" his eyes examined her with darting movements, "I can see the bruises in your face, but this is hardly enough to…"

"Using the Cruciatus curse is more than enough to get them jailed." Alexa replied coolly. Malfoy paled, and unconsciously bit his lower lip.

"What did they do to you?" he asked in a weak whisper.

"I'm still alive, not need to worry." Alexa said dryly, "I guess I should thank you for that."

He raised a surprised eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"Someone had informed super Potter and his league of justice that I was in danger," Alexa said sarcastically, earning a hearty chuckle from Malfoy, "And asked them to keep an eye on me. As much as I hate to admit it, they saved me last night." She said with a groan. "You wouldn't happened to be the one that informed them, would you?" she asked sweetly.

Malfoy grinned at her mischievously, but refrained from answering. His expression turned serious when he said, "I'm going to punish them for damaging your face." He hissed, "They have absolutely no appreciation for beauty."

Alexa smiled at the hinted compliment. "I think they have been punished enough."

He turned his head and smiled to her, genuinely, happily. "I swear, Alexa, I'd marry you just for pulling off that prank." He said jokingly, but when his hand slid to find hers under the table, and held it ever so gently, she began to doubt it was merely a joke. He did not look at her, and pretended to focus on something in the other side of the hall, still holding onto her hand. She gazed at him; she felt safe and comfortable by his side, and though she swore to protect him, he had rescued her from trouble at least twice already.

She wondered if maybe, just maybe, he was a little more Black than he was a Malfoy. Whatever side the Black descendents chose, they were brave, loyal and willing to sacrifice. Like Narcissa was; she would do anything to protect her family, especially her only son. She hoped Malfoy was somewhat like his mother, and noted herself that she should talk to her as soon as possible. Obviously she could not just stroll into the Malfoy Manor and have a friendly chat with her about betraying the Dark Lord.

"Draco," she whispered softly, and he immediately turned to her, his eyes gentle. "Could I trust you to pass a message to your mother?" she asked while gripping his hand tightly, "It's for her eyes only."

His gaze became vague and thoughtful, and his expression stiffened a bit, "You can." he finally uttered.

"Swear on your mother's life," Alexa whispered in a dark voice, "Because this is what's on the line."

She saw him swallow, but he kept his eyes firm on her. "I swear."

She nodded and turned from him, quickly writing down her message, and then folded the parchment a few times, intrusting it in Malfoy's hand. "Don't read it. And give it to her personally, when you're alone." She instructed, and he nodded, hiding her letter in a hidden pocket inside his robe.

Seeing that their fingers were still intertwined, Alexa sighed, knowing she would have to lead him on if she wanted to rescue him. She moved closer to him, and wrapped his hand around her waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. He seemed surprised and then smiled smugly, gripping her tighter and pulling her even closer, a content expression lighting his face. She saw Blaise raising a questioning eyebrow at her, wondering why she changed her mind about Malfoy; she gave him a meaningful look, indicating they would discuss it later.

She knew Malfoy would return to the Manor in April, for the holidays, and she hoped Narcissa could make it to their secret meeting; without her consent none of Alexa's plans could be executed. Outside the weather was warming just a little, March had brought with him the beautiful bloom of the Almond trees, as well as the frightening realization that half of the year had already passed. Certain dolefulness took over her; the pressure of the final exams and the ominous knowing that trouble are soon. Another misfortunate incident was Weasley's poisoning, well not so misfortunate, she thought to herself darkly; obviously Weasley was not important enough to be anyone target so the inevitable conclusion was that it was another failure at killing someone else. She vaguely connected it to Katie Bell and the cursed necklace but could not figure out who was the target of these sloppy attacks.

She doubted it was Slughorn they were after, whoever they were, though she was absolutely sure Malfoy had a hand in it. To execute attacks inside Hogwarts walls you must have some inside help, and it was likely to assume that Malfoy was an eager source of information. Her thought interrupted when Blaise had given her the news; Potter cracked his skull when a Bludger hit him, sent by his own keeper. Alexa could not stop laughing for ten minutes straight, clenching her stomach with both hands.

"So what's going on with Malfoy?" Blaise inquired when she calmed down.

"Nothing." Alexa said blankly.

"So when I saw you sitting in the Great Hall like newlyweds, it was nothing?" Blaise asked teasingly, with a lopsided smirk.

"Exactly." Came her impatient answer.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," Blaise raised his hands in a defensive manner, "But if you are trying to hide it, then refrain from cuddling in public. I wasn't the only one who noticed." He advised her, seeming fairly amused.

"I'm not hiding anything Blaise," Alexa said tiredly, "I just took your advice, about Malfoy needing his friends more than ever now." She half lied, not feeling too guilty.

"So it was a friendly cuddle?" Blaise seemed unconvinced. "And I completely imagined Malfoy's possessive expression when he held you?"

"Look, nothing is going to happen between us." Alexa said, knowing she was completely dishonest, "I vaguely remember us showering together when we were four." She shared with utter disgust.

Blaise laughed wholeheartedly. "I don't know if it's a kinky turn on, or revolting enough for me to puke." He said jokingly.

"You're perverted." Alexa remarked with a smirk, and left the common room, heading for the infirmary. She needed to amuse herself a little. Miss Pomfrey let her in, informing Potter and Weasley they had a visitor; she could not take off her evil smirk when she walked into the room. "I really feel like it's my lucky day. Weasley was poisoned and now Potter has a brain damage. Not that anyone would notice." She sneered.

"Now that Malfoy is occupied with his Death Eater's business, you step to fill the void so naturally." Potter said coldly.

"Please, it's insulting," Alexa drawled, just the way Malfoy did, "My company is far more pleasant than Mister Ferret's."

Potter and Granger, who apparently was in the room to, let out a bark of laughter, while Wesley said, "You're definitely prettier."

Alexa did not miss the murderous glare Granger gave Weasley. "Some thought shouldn't be voiced in the presence of your girlfriend." Alexa said meaningfully, glancing the Granger.

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Granger cried out, knowing Alexa had caught her frowning at Weasley's compliment. Alexa noticed Weasley seemed offended and to lightened the atmosphere she winked and said, "Yet."

Potter gave a piggish snort; the boy had the grace of a troll. However, grace is not helpful against the Dark Lord, and Potter had been escaping his claws for over sixteen year; she had a lot to learn. Granger hurried to change the subject, her cheeks bright red, "Do you take the apparition course?" she asked.

"Unfortunately no," Alexa replied quite sadly, "I'll be seventeen only on September…."

"That's a shame," Weasley said, "You're missing all the fun in seeing people splinch themselves."

"If I had received pleasure from seeing people's organs torn from their bodies, I would have accepted the alluring offer of joining the Dark Lord." Alexa replied dryly, and darkly.

There was a tensed silence in the room; Granger appeared to be holding her breath. "And why exactly did you turn him down?" Potter inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Because he is the reason my parents are dead." She said blankly, masking her anger, "I'm too free spirited to serve a master."

"Weren't…weren't your parents Death Eaters?" Weasley said in a cracked voice, and Granger swallowed hard.

"They were." Alexa replied calmly. "Among his most loyal followers. And look where this had gotten them; to a mossy grave. Or Malfoy's father and many others who were granted with a luxurious cell in Azkaban." Alexa said sarcastically. "I rather end my life in some other way."

"So you turned him down from purely selfish reasons?" Potter asked, his eyes narrowed, "wanting to save your own skin?"

"Basically, yes. Ironic how opposing the Dark Lord might save my skin." Alexa grinned gloomily, "I really don't care for you, and your righteous causes, but I'm certain his ideology is a fraud."

"Explain yourself." Potter said, more of a demand.

Alexa pulled out a chair, and sat down comfortably, looking at him calmly. "Some say you were inside his head, so you must know." She said quietly, "The Dark Lord is not truly concerned with the entire pureblood supremacy and Muggle hunting. It's an enjoyable added bonus, but it is not the purpose." She paused, and the three other students were practically hypnotized by her word, "He wants power, world domination, eternal glory. This foolish ideology is nothing but a tool to inflame his narrow minded followers."

"You seem to have given it a lot of thought." Potter remarked after a long silence.

"I had sixteen lonely years to ponder." Alexa said grievously.

"So Dumbledore wants you in the Order?" Potter asked bluntly.

"Nothing was made official yet, except from Dumbledore's vague promise to protect me." Alexa said flatly, "So I suggest you to watch your tongue around me, for time being." She warned him.

Potter gazed at her thoughtfully, his green disturbing eyes drilling into her skull. "I've changed my mind, Kaiser." He said with a twisted grin, "You are trustworthy. If you told me you were doing it for some sort of a noble cause, I would spit in your face. But you have all the right reasons to hate him, and that makes you a prefect alley." He stated.

"I think you're going to loathe me soon enough, Potter" Alexa said emotionlessly, "If I'm successful, I won't be the only one joining you."

Potter narrowed his eyes at her, shaking his head in disbelief, "You're bringing him with you? No way." He declared, looking furious.

"You can voice your objections to Dumbledore. Unfortunately for you, he's an enthusiastic supporter." Alexa replied with a smug expression.

"Who are we talking about?" Weasley asked, but both Alexa and Potter ignored him.

"You're delirious, Kaiser." Potter said bitterly, "the coward will never switch sides."

"I'm going to drag him by his ear out of this, I if I have to." Alexa promised him in her moderated tone, "I'm not going to lose another for the Dark Lord's caprices."

"But you absolutely despised him!" Potter cried out, and Weasley kept on nudging with his inquiries, ignored once again.

"There are more important things than childish rivalries." Alexa said fiercely, "You better acknowledge that if you wish to oppose the Dark Lord's great might."

Potter opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and remained silent, pondering. "Harry, who are you talking about?" Granger questioned furiously, stomping her foot.

Alexa gave him a warning glare, "I expect you to keep this information to yourself. And though I'd hate to poison your friendship with secrets, I must insist you won't share it with anyone, not even with them," she demanded clearly, her eyes darting from Granger to Weasley.

Potter nodded with severe expression, and Alexa got up from her chair, "I hope you get well soon," she wished them with a polite voice and left the infirmary.


	11. Meeting

**Thank you Yana for commenting :)**

**It seems like everyone that had read the second chapter, continued to read the next ones, up till chapter 10.**

**which means they liked my story. Then why don't you review? I'm really sad...**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11 : Meeting**

"Parkinson, Will you kindly shut your mouth?" Alexa growled in annoyance at the cheerful Parkinson, who sat in front of her in Malfoy's lap, blubbering in her high pitched voice, "I'm trying to finish Snape's essay, and since you will probably want to copy my work, it is in your best interest to let me concentrate." Alexa said in a poisonous voice, glaring at her above a pile of dusty books.

Malfoy raised an amused eyebrow at Alexa's outburst; her reactions were always much moderated and this was an odd exception. She saw the thought crossing his mind as a smug smirk appeared on his lips; Malfoy thought she was jealous. Alexa sighed deeply; the sacrifices she made to achieve her goal, let him think so, it served her well. She had a handful of tasks to finished after Snape's exercise, so she delve back into the books, expertly summarizing what he had asked for. To add to the ridiculous amount of homework they were given for the holidays, she also had her private classes with Snape, which demanded much preparation; after she had finished her homework she would go and read advanced Defense against the Dark Arts books, or even better, books regarding dark magic. She had plenty of that in her library at home so she owled her grandparents, asking them to send her a few recommended ones. They were clearly unnerved by her request, and her sudden interest in the Dark Arts but she assured them her interest was purely academic.

The only encouraging thought was meeting Narcissa, if, of course Malfoy had delivered her the message and she decided to come. She took a risky gamble, relying on Narcissa's love to her son and her great worry for his safety. If her message had fallen into the wrong hands, she could be walking straight into a deadly ambush, but what is life without risking, she thought to herself.

On the second day of the Easter vacation she left for a trip to Hogsmeade, quite startled over the fact that she would not be able to study; she was beginning to realize she was slightly obsessive. Alexa never thought she was brilliant or especially talented, but she had an extraordinarily high work ethic and self discipline. She did so well in school because she practically did nothing but study; she did not care for Quidditch, never picked up a hobby, she had no interest in being social and never had a boyfriend. She shrugged that thought; she was doing the best she could to succeed, perfecting her strengths to cover her weaknesses.

She glanced at the clock, it was half passed eleven; she still had time to visit Scrivenshaft's Quill shop, so she fastened her pace and quickly entered the store, looking for new supply. She spotted a marvelous peacock feather quill and snatched it, practically hopping on her way to pay for it. Alexa's family was among the wealthiest families in the wizarding world, nothing compared to the Malfoy's fortune, but enough for her, her children and grandchildren to live luxuriously without working a single day of their lives. Alexa never bragged about it, and she was far from being a squanderer; most of her expenses were on books and supply for her studies.

She left the store and glanced at the clothing shops; she was never into fashion. Alexa always looked sharp, her clothes clean, neatly ironed and tastefully combined. Her style was classic, garments that never went out of style, and she never tried to follow the latest trends simply because she hated drawing attention to herself. Alexa was determent to excel in her studies, but other than that, she preferred to just assimilate in the crowd.

She entered a lingerie store that was heavily crowded with many mothers escorting their daughter in choosing the best fitting underwear. She chose to meet Narcissa here because it was a casual shop Narcissa might visit, it was pretty crowded at this time of the day and mainly because any male Death Eater would rather die by the hands of the Dark Lord himself than walk into a lingerie store. Very few of the Dark Lord's followers were females, and she knew who they were; she highly doubted that filthy Bellatrix was wearing fancy underwear, or wearing underwear at all.

Alexa was looking at a plain pink bra when she heard a soft voice behind her, "Pink is not your color, Alexa. I can guide you in picking something that suits you better."

Alexa smiled brightly and turned around to see Narcissa, her hair perfectly made, dressed like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, and stunningly beautiful. "I would like that, thank you."

"Well," Narcissa drawled, giving Alexa a thoroughly examining look, "What's the occasion? Regular lingerie or maybe… something special?" she inquired with a suggestive smirk.

"There is this guy…" Alexa said dreamingly, playing along, "I think of seducing."

Narcissa laughed softly and said, "Then you're in the wrong section." She took Alexa's hand and led her to a different part of the store, where they held much more daring garments. Narcissa looked thoughtful as she roamed through the many items and Alexa was struck with a sudden realization; maybe there was one more reason way she chose this place. She never had that embarrassing, yet emotionally significant experience of shopping with her mother; when she was thirteen she just went and bought her first bra alone.

"I think I found it." Narcissa declared, holding a crimson laced bra with matching bikini bottom and garters. Alexa felt her face burning with mortification, but she followed Narcissa to the dressing chamber nonetheless. Immediately as they closed the door behind them, Narcissa pulled out her wand, putting a silencing spell on the small cell. "That guy you think of seducing…" she said in a warning voice, "better be my son."

Alexa laughed wholeheartedly, but then turned utterly serious. "Your son is the reason we're here. I'm sure you love him more than anything if you took the risk and met me." Alexa said quietly and Narcissa nodded. "You are obviously aware of the fact that he has a very slim chance to survive this war."

Narcissa sighed heavily, tiredly. "I am. But I'm doing all I can to protect him; he has the best men watching his back."

"That might be true, but clearly it's not enough." Alexa said in a sympathetic voice, "The Dark Lord wishes to punish Lucius, and his using your son to get his revenge." Alexa stated coldly now. "Even if Draco succeeds in whatever he is doing now, The Dark Lord will continue sending him to suicide missions."

Alexa saw Narcissa's bottom lip tremble; it was such a pity to see this strong woman in such distress. "And what else can I do more than pray for him to come back alive every time?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"He can come with me." Alexa said softly, "I've talked to Dumbledore. The only way for me to survive is to join the Order of the Phoenix. They will protect Draco and you as well."

"You're joining them?" Narcissa cried out in shock.

"I want to live." Alexa stated simply. "I don't care for blood status, or power struggles. At least not as much as I care about living. Do you want to live as well?"

"I do." Narcissa said weakly.

"Do you want for Draco to live?" Alexa said firmly.

"More than anything." Narcissa whispered, like a prayer.

"Then take my offer." Alexa said confidently. "When the time is right, an intermediary will contact you. You will be hiding in a safe place, under a Fidelius charm; I'll be your secret keeper." Alexa paused, letting Narcissa digest the information. "Draco and I will join the Order."

Narcissa's eyes glittered with tears but she looked more determined than ever. "And you give me your word, Alexa Augusta Kaiser that you will protect my son by all means?"

Alexa was quiet, feeling the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. "Yes." She stated putting all of her passion in that word. Narcissa smiled at her gently, a spark of hope lit in her eyes.

"Now that you have given your consent, I have to talk Draco into it." Alexa said quite miserably.

"All these years that you were fighting, I remember how he would furiously storm into the house and tell me every little thing you had said or done to him, and call you names I was embarrassed to here coming out of his mouth," Narcissa said with a bitter smile, "Just like his father had taught him, he probably never let you see; but you definitely knew how to drive him to insanity."

Alexa chuckled as she imagined a younger Draco throwing a tantrum in his room. "I'm telling you this because I see you as my daughter and because you can and wish to save Draco. He cared for you deeply even when he was cruel and hateful. He still cares. And if you want to change his mind, make him care for you more. He would do it for you." Narcissa said slowly, struggling with every word she said, "I do feel like I betrayed his trust now." She added, lowering her eyes to the floor, "But if it saves him…"

Alexa was gapping like a fool, and when she realized this she closed her mouth and tried to rid her dumb expression. Blaise was right all that time and she was blind and foolish to miss it; her key to persuading Malfoy. If Narcissa was not present she would probably smack her head.

"He never said anything…" Alexa said slowly, reminiscing, "I would have never guessed."

"Of course he never said anything," Narcissa said with a bitter tone, "He's his father's son. He was heavily influenced by Lucius…" she trailed off, looking a bit disappointed.

"And his lovely aunt Bellatrix," Alexa spat angrily, furrowing her eyebrows.

"She is my sister," Narcissa said in a warning tone, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," Alexa said quietly, lowering her head in apology.

Narcissa laughed, "You shouldn't be. The same blood runs through our veins, the famous Black family aristocracy, but she is foul." Narcissa said darkly, her graceful features twisted in a loathing expression.

Alexa looked at her attentively, waiting for an explanation. "Maybe I'm just over protective of Draco." Narcissa sighed heavily, "But the way she looks at him…" her expression was furious."She was after Lucius once, but he chose me. And Draco resembles him, in more than just looks… " she remarked in a suppressed anger, clenching her fists.

Alexa looked horrified and disgusted, "She's his aunt!" she uttered, shocked.

"I want him out of this sick environment, Alexa." Narcissa said, almost pleaded.

"I'm going to persuade him." Alexa said confidently and noted to herself, before his sick aunt would have her filthy hands all over him.

"Well then you better try it on," Narcissa smirked at her, handing her the seductive lingerie. Alexa blushed, mortified and Narcissa chuckled, "I'm joking, dear."

They left the dressing room, and exited the shop, each turning to a different direction while both of them had the same goal; to save Draco Malfoy. Alexa almost vomited when picture of Bellatrix seducing Draco popped in her mind. She did not know why, but she felt like she wanted a personal vendetta at that old, creepy vixen; she grew to be pretty possessive herself, without even noticing.


	12. Hurt

**Alexa is trying to be all sweet and loving. It works pretty well.**

**But soon enough everything is going to change. So if you expect a corny romance, you're up for a surprise. I like my stories dark :)**

**Thanks to the amazing Chelsea and Icarus! **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 12 : Hurt**

Alexa held her head between her hands, massaging her temples, while her elbows rested on the desk. McGonagall was lecturing them about human transfigurations, with her severe expression, and tightly pressed lips, talking faster than Alexa could comprehend. She scanned her peers; Parkinson was putting her nail polish on, Malfoy was spacing out, Weasley and Potter appeared defeated and the only one that was trying to pay attention was Granger. Alexa picked up her quill again and continued to summarize McGonagall's explanations, knowing that she would have to read it thoroughly again after the lecture ends, to fully comprehend the subject.

"Alexa, do you think I look exceptionally handsome today?" Blaise asked her in a smug voice, leaning closer to her and invading her part of the desk.

"Well," Alexa said with, curling her lips, "You look exceptionally handsome every day, so I guess it's not so exceptional." She replied with a smirk.

"Then please enlighten me, why is Malfoy constantly looking in my direction?" Blaise inquired in an innocent voice, but his sly grin was teasing her.

"If I were sitting next to Parkinson, and surrounded by filthy Gryffindors, I would much prefer to gaze at you." Alexa whispered, trying to pay attention to McGonagall.

"This is completely understandable." Blaise said with vain expression, "But I have this strange feeling it is not me Malfoy's looking at."

"And why would you consider such thing?" Alexa questioned, putting on a shocked expression.

"I guess you can call it … feminine intuition," Blaise replied in a silky voice, and Alexa gave out a loud snort, biting her lips so she would not burst out laughing.

"Anything funny, miss Kaiser?" McGonagall addressed her firmly, staring at her behind her glasses.

"No, professor." Alexa said quietly, and elbowed Blaise's ribs forcefully.

McGonagall continued the class as if she was not interfered but many surprised eyebrows were raised at her; in all of her years at Hogwarts, Alexa was never berated. Most of them seemed quite amused that even she had stumbled once, but Malfoy seemed furious for a certain reason; his eyes were burning with rage but somehow still maintained their cold metallic quality. It was the first time she admitted to herself that Malfoy had mesmerizing eyes.

"I expect a four stroll essay on the subject due to Friday." McGonagall informed them when the class ended. Alexa gapped while many others complained loudly; Friday was in three days. Sighing heavily she collected her belongings and marched out of the classroom, and while everyone had made their way to the common room, she headed straight to the library. When most of the crowd had scattered, and the hallways turned silent she could not ignore the feeling of being followed. She made a right turn and pressed her body to the wall, gripping her wand.

When the person that followed her took the same turn Alexa grabbed their arm and forced them face forward into the wall, pointing her wand at his back. A girlie squeak was heard and Alexa let go immediately as she realized it was only Granger. "Any reason you were following me, Granger?"

"I wasn't!" she protested, turning around, "I was heading for the library and…." She started to explain but had stopped talking when she saw Alexa smile.

"I'm heading to the library myself." Alexa said, hiding her wand in her pocket. "I'm sorry for assaulting you Granger. I guess I'm turning slightly paranoid lately…"

Granger laughed; she looked surprised and happy at the same time, she was glowing. Alexa gave her a bluntly inspective look and Granger suddenly turned quiet. "You look different," Alexa remarked, "Your hair, your teeth, the way you hold yourself." Alexa noted, and seeing Granger's uncertain expression, added, "It's a compliment."

"Oh" Granger nearly gasped, "Thank you." She said weakly. Granger strangely reminded her of Malfoy at that moment; another person who forgot how it was when people treated him respectfully. Granger was respected by many of the students, but the Slytherins had always given her a hard time. "I'm quite new to all of this… I'm not a beauty care master like Parkinson." Granger admitted shyly.

Alexa let out a bark of laughter, and started to walk toward the library, escorted by Granger. "Parkinson? This is your idol?" Alexa was amused, "Parkinson is nothing but a bulimic cow. As much as I find it hard to admit, since you are a Muggle born, you are thousand times better than her."

Granger considered if she should be insulted or complimented; it seemed like she had taken Alexa's comment in a positive way. "Apparently she's doing something right; she has Malfoy around her finger." Granger said with obvious disgust.

Alexa stopped her pacing and faced Granger. "First of all, shagging Malfoy is not an index for quality. Secondly, Malfoy couldn't care less of Pansy; you know him well enough to understand his lacking abilities in caring for someone but himself." Alexa felt a sting of guilty as she said it, knowing it was not true, "And third, why would you care? Do you fancy him?"

Granger was flustered and when she opened her mouth words did not come out. "I don't fancy Malfoy." She finally uttered, and the sheer look of repulsion on her face supported her statement.

"Of course you don't." Alexa said lightly, and Granger exhaled with relief, "You are head over heels with that dorky Weasley."

Watching Granger was criminally amusing; she had paled to a chalky shade of white, then blushed in bright red, then paled again. Alexa began to worry. "You are a sharp observant." Granger finally said, avoiding the subject.

"Though I appreciate the compliment I cannot take it. Anyone who claims for one functional lobe and minimal vision could have pointed it out." Alexa grinned in an unpleasant way, making Granger quiver. "So you fixed yourself and waiting for him to notice?"

"I…Well, it's not that…" Granger struggled out of the question but then she gave up. "Yes." She whispered sadly.

"If you wish to be noticed, I can help you with that." Alexa gave her a bright smile, fleshing a row of perfect, shiny teeth.

"I'd love that!" Granger clapped her hands together in excitement, but then her expression darkened, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Well, there is that insignificant matter, you know, regarding you saving my life." Alexa said sarcastically, "Moreover, it's likely to assume I will be spending some time with you until the war ends. If we have to get along eventually, why not start now?" Alexa shrugged.

Granger gave her a genuine smile, as they both stop in front of the library entrance. "You here to write McGonagall's essay?" Granger asked and Alexa nodded tiredly. "We can work together, if you wish…" Granger suggested hesitantly.

Alexa pondered for a moment; this was a moment she had never seen coming. "Sure." Alexa agreed with a friendly smile and the two of them entered the library together, immediately attending the vigorous task of finding the proper books.

It was a few days after when Snape burst into charms class, asking for Alexa; Blaise gave her a questioning look but she was just a clueless. She followed him out of the class and his usually emotionless features held suppressed distress. "Potter and Malfoy had a… violent encounter," Snape said in a blank voice, "Malfoy is in the infirmary, and might be transferred to St. Mungo's."

Alexa felt nausea, a large lump in her throat, and a cold, stinging emptiness in her stomach. "St. Mungo's?" she whispered, only really severe cases were transferred.

"Potter's recklessness and his abilities in causing damage are far greater than I imagined." Snape commented with snide. "The headmaster released you from your classes today, so you can visit Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you, professor." Alexa said in a weak voice and almost sprinted all the way to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey had let her in and she soon spotted his bright blonde hair in the last bed. If she was not told otherwise she would have thought he was dead; his face looked dull and gray, his hair was dry as straw, and his body lay motionless in bed, like he was not even breathing. His entire torso was heavily bandaged and the white dressings were soaked with blood. "Oh dear," Madam Pomfrey exclaimed behind her, "It seems like I have to change his bandages once again."

Alexa nodded wordlessly, staring at his limp body; so weak, so helpless, so not Malfoy. "I'm just going to my dorms to grab a few things," Alexa said weakly, "I will return soon."

She walked inhumanly fast in the relatively empty corridors, her mind feverish with thoughts. She knew she had to harden herself; during the upcoming war she would witness these kinds of sights on a daily basis. That thought only made her even more nervous. While marching towards the dungeons she had short glimpse of a wild, dark hair, and abruptly decided to follow it, her thought unclear even to herself. She had reached that certain person a few moments later, feeling uncontrollable rage pumping in her veins and blurring her judgment.

She tapped the lad on the shoulder and just as he turned to face her, she mustered all her strength and punched his nose, hearing a painful cracking noise. He stumbled backwards, hitting a wall and Alexa approached him, gripping her wand. "You saved my ass, Potter," she said in a low growl, "And this is the only reason why you aren't reunited with your beloved parents." She said in a threatening voice that sounded foreign to her, "Stay. Away. From. Malfoy."

"It wasn't my fault!" Potter protested, holding his bleeding nose.

"Really?" Alexa yelled, "So Malfoy bleeding to death in the infirmary had nothing to do with your doing?"

"I didn't mean to harm him… that badly." Potter added, realizing the first half of the sentence was a complete lie. "I didn't know what that spell does."

Alexa inhaled deeply, trying to control her anger. "Next time you are using advanced dark magic, do it against Death Eaters and not your peers!"

"He is a Death Eater, Kaiser!" Potter roared, clenching his fists.

Alexa found herself holding Potter by the collar of his shirt, her face inches from his. "This is my last warning to you Potter." Alexa whispered hoarsely, "Do not interfere with my mission, do not provoke Malfoy, or you have my word as a Kaiser that I will make your life a miserable hell."

And with that threat she turned around and headed to her dormitories, collecting a few books and returned to the infirmary, to sit by the unconscious Malfoy. She stayed there for hours, reading her books and finishing her exercises, sending a worried glance to Malfoy every once in a while. She noticed that his bandaged were not as soaked as before, and he seemed a little less…lifeless. It was not until a late night out that she had heard a rusting of sheets; she looked at his agonized expression and involuntarily sent her hand to stroke his hair, coming to sit on his bed. He shifted a little in bed and she examined him, from the tip of his head to his delicate hands resting by his sides.

"When did you start to wear rings, Malfoy?" She teased him, suspecting he was awake, "Your tasteful choice of clothes, the ridiculous amount of time you spend on fixing your hair and now this…I'm starting to suspect you're not genuinely into girls."

He let out a chuckle. "Just tell me when and where, Alexa, and I will show you how genuinely interested I am." His voice was hoarse, and his eyes still closed; Alexa was grateful he could not see her blushing. "You were her earlier, didn't you? Where did you go?" he asked, struggling to open his eyes.

"You were conscious then?" Alexa asked rhetorically, "I grabbed a few books and had a little retaliation," she smirked mysteriously. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and she added, "I Broke Potter's nose."

Malfoy shut his eyes again with a satisfied smirk, "That's my girl."

Alexa softly smiled at his comment, and he complained. "And why did you stop stroking my hair?"

"I never intended on doing it in the first place," Alexa replied with unease, "But you looked so cute and harmless. But now you seem like your normal horrid self."

He grinned evilly at her, and then glanced at the window, at the darkness of the night. "Will you stay with me tonight?" he asked with a pout and Alexa was reluctant to agree, "You have to spend a night with me before I die. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss out on this opportunity."

Alexa rolled her eyes at his narcissism, but some part of her knew she should stay. She needed to get closer to Malfoy and this really was a once in a life time opportunity. She sighed, and took of her shoes, laying down on her side next to him, supporting her head with her palm while looking down at him. He gazed back at her, his expression serene and content, like the storm inside her gray eyes slightly calmed. She felt his smooth fingers caressing her cheek, before he whispered, "Kiss me, Alexa."

She obeyed, slowly leaning down to meet his lips in a soft kiss. She pressed her lips gently against his, her palm cupping his cheek, kissing him shyly. When she broke away, he pulled her back down, his hand on her nape guiding her back to him, into another tender peck. Damn him and his Malfoy charm, Alexa screamed in her mind, feeling herself melting at his touch. It turned into a long session of chaste kisses, affectionate fondles and longing gazes; it was innocent and pure. Malfoy had gone through this phase at his second year, Alexa thought gloomily as she pulled away.

He inhaled deeply, and licked his lips. "Where have you been all my life?" he asked jokingly, and turned his head to watch her.

"Studying in the common room, hoping you'd forget to insult me." Alexa replied dryly.

"It's going to be different from now on." He promised, finding her hand and holding it.

"Take the offer, Draco," she said softly, pleadingly.

"I can't. I was chosen to fulfill this task." His voice almost broke down.

"Do it for your mother." Alexa insisted, her eyes locked on his, "Do it for me. I want you to be with me when the world ends, not against me," she whispered, surprised at her dramatic skills.

She saw him swallow hard. "You're a true Slytherin," he remarked with a chuckle. He wrapped his hand around her, scooping her closer to him, and she lay beside him, as close as she could without hurting his wounded body.

"Please, Draco," she whispered to his ears and placed another kiss on his lips. It was supposed to be a mere pretence of affection, just to lure him in, but the warmness that filled her chest said otherwise. He kissed back, slightly harder and rougher than before, this time letting his tongue slid into her mouth and explore. She reacted, a little more courageous, adding some passion to her kiss, and moving her tongue against his; he tasted like medicine and his expensive cologne was replaced with the scent of disinfectant, but she loved it nonetheless. She playfully nibbled his lower lip and a soft moan escaped his lips, causing her to draw back.

He chuckled at her reaction. "You're not bad for a beginner." He commented arrogantly, "Was it your first kiss, at the New Year's Eve?"

Alexa nodded, avoiding his eyes. She had never planned on Malfoy to be her first kiss. "I'm sorry." He said earnestly, "I'm sorry for stealing your first kiss. I'm an ass."

"I was really mad," Alexa confessed, "But now I don't mind." she added with a sweet smile. She fought an urge to puke; this whole lovey dovey behavior was so unlike her. She resented it with every fiber of her body but somehow it came out so naturally. She buried her face in Malfoy's unwounded shoulder, not wanting to see his victorious expression, and let him play with her hair as she slowly drifted to sleep.


	13. Pain

**Thank for reviewing once again, Icarus ans Chelsea, it's really encouraging. **

**So far you've seen only a glimpse at Alexa's weaknesses but soon everything is going to fall apart, and you will be able to decide what you consider as strength or fault. **

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 13 : Pain**

Malfoy was released from the infirmary, just as good as new, with the exception of a few white scars on his chest, which Madam Pomfrey promised would fade away. In public they exchanged the bitter rivalry between them for a distant, cold truce. When they met in privacy, they conjured the memories of the good old days, bonding and befriending in a desperate attempt to bridge over nearly six years of hatred. It was way after curfew as they sat under a broad branched tree, looking at the lake, and taking in the warm air of June.

"I'm glad you stopped visiting the Manor," Malfoy said darkly, taking a thin frond and crumbling it between his fingers. Alexa looked at him questioningly. "My father had then decided to strict his approach towards my education. This meant heavy punishment for obtaining unsatisfying grades, or alas, not acting as a true Malfoy should act."

"You are an excellent student," Alexa remarked, "And from what I saw, you can be cruel and ruthless just as you'd expected from a Malfoy." Her voice held very little sympathy.

"I enjoyed it at the beginning," Malfoy admitted, lowering his head, "I hate potter, and that Weasley scum, and the insufferable Mudblood sidekick. Torturing them came pretty naturally to me." He smirked evilly and Alexa twitched her lips in revolt, "I still think that I am purer and better."

"Then nothing had changed, Malfoy." Alexa stated, and the coldness of her voice could freeze the entire lake.

"No. things changed after our fourth year, when there was no denying the Dark Lord was back." Malfoy said, with a shudder. "Up till then I was just raised to be an arrogant, obnoxious Malfoy. However, since that night at the graveyard, the night HE retrieved his body, I was meant to become a Death Eater."

"What's the difference?" Alexa asked harshly.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes as he glared at her. "As much as I can't stand filthy Granger, I never wanted her dead. Or at least, I never wanted to be the one who killed her." Malfoy said quietly, "There is great difference between bragging about supremacy or teasing orphans, and participating in genocide." Malfoy paused, inhaling deeply and then continued. "Ever summer since then I was trained to become …tougher, stronger and more ruthless."

There was a heavy silence and Alexa inquired, "Trained?"

"My dear father and his respectable friends beat the shit out of me," he said through greeted teeth, "To make me immune. When my mother tried to interfere, the bastard hit her too." Fury burned in his gray eyes, but his face was emotionless, "And then my lovely aunt Bellatrix returned and we had a pleasant family reunion, where she would cast the Cruciatus curse on me, so I would become immune to this sort of pain as well."

Alexa involuntarily clenched her palms into fists, until her knuckles whitened; that sadistic bitch, she screamed in her mind. "Being the spoiled, hedonistic person that I am," he continued in a blank voice, "I was quite reluctant to cooperate. However, my father had discovered my weak point; when I refused to participate in their ridiculous Death Eater's boot camp, he would hurt my mother."

"That filthy scum," Alexa hissed, her eyes wide and torn at what she had just heard.

"This is where I decided to surrender to their will, and spare my mother from the abuse," his voice was broken. "And this is what I'm doing now, to save her life and my own."

"Do you realize that if the Dark Lord is defeated, you will rot in Azkaban just like your father?" Alexa noted.

"I definitely earned my place there," he replied bitterly, "I've done horrible things. I tortured innocent people, I… " He trailed off, seeing Alexa's disappointed eyes. "What I'm about to do, is even worse."

"I'm not even going to ask." Alexa said, unnerved.

"I'd appreciate that." He said with a weak smile.

"I'm going to give you my rational arguments one last time." Alexa said tiredly. "The chances you will survive this war as a Death Eater are slim; he wants you dead." She said bluntly, and saw Malfoy flinch, "If the dark side loses, you will be lucky to be executed or jailed. There's always a chance they will let a Dementor kiss you." Alexa continued, making him even more uneasy. "Your future as a Death Eater is… inglorious." She summarized in her cold, analytic way.

"So it seems." Malfoy agreed reluctantly.

"However, you can take Dumbledore's offer." Alexa suggested, "Save your skin, save your mother, and end up a hero if Dumbledore wins."

"I can't." he said simply.

"Why?" Alexa said, frustrated.

"Because I have nothing to offer them." Malfoy replied reasonably. "They will never trust me. They will throw me to the wolves like the Dark Lord does. Can you imagine Potter watching my back?" he asked with a sneer, "And after what I'm about to do… I will never be forgiven."

"I will deal with Potter." Alexa said firmly, "And I will watch your back. I gave your mother my word." Alexa looked at him with defiant eyes, "Whatever it is, the unforgivable deed you have to perform…don't do it." Alexa said slowly, "Let Snape do it."

Malfoy looked her with wide eyes, his body tensing immediately. "I know about the Unbreakable Vow." Alexa answered his unspoken question. "Dumbledore knows everything Malfoy. He allows you to continue because he knows your life is on the line."

He seemed like his world was falling apart around him, which was not as metaphoric as it usually was. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes darted like a maniac's eyes, she suspected he was not breathing. "That can't be." he finally uttered.

"Believe what you want." Alexa shrugged, and got up to her feet. "Now you know everything you need to know to make an intelligent decision." She said plainly as he rose to his feet as well. "I'd hate the thought of you giving up on your future, and our future," she said in a sad voice, knowing how despicable was playing that card, "But I guess I would have to respect your decision."

Malfoy shifted uncomfortably, clearly having an inner struggle. "I'm not giving up, Alexa." He said quietly, stretching his hand to hold hers. "This is not the right time."

"Fine." She said, reaching for her pocket. "Our way will part soon, Draco." She said ominously, licking her lips nervously, and handed him a shiny object, "This is a two-way mirror; I own the other one of the pair as well. When the time is right, say my name and I will appear in your mirror." She explained as Malfoy hid it in his robe.

"How do you know I won't use it to lure your right into the Dark Lord's hands?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"I don't." Alexa admitted. "I trust you Draco. I'm willing to take the risk for you," she said in a quiet, calm voice as she closed the distance between them. Her hand rose to caress his cheek, and painfully slow, brought her lips to his. His arms embraced her tightly, pulling her closer to him in desperate need. His kiss was hard and rough and hopeless, just like he was, and she put every bit of emotion into it.

"Why?" he whispered, as they pulled apart.

"Because I love you." Alexa said in her most vulnerable, sincere voice. She knew it was not true, or at least not as Malfoy understood it. She waited for that familiar sting of guilt but it never came. Malfoy backed away from her; staring at her like a deer in the headlights, pale, shaking, panting, his eyes torn. And then he ran, like his life depended on it, never looking back. Alexa shrugged; either he took the bait or he did not, there was nothing more she could do. It was time to retreat and let him stew in his own juice.

The following night was far more exhausting; it was Thursday and Snape seemed to be outstandingly cruel and impatient. After a long argument he had agreed to train in resisting an Imperius Curse, and the Cruciatus; he refused to perform these spells on her but she had confronted him with his own argument – the Dark Lord would not be soft with her. For the past few weeks, every Thursday, her tainted screams had filled the Room of Requirement as he tortured her and then tried to force his will upon her.

"Bow down to your lord," Snape said viciously, pointing his wand at her. Alexa fought against the invisible force that pushed her back, arching it, she resisted so violently she thought she would break her spine.

"No…" she hissed between greeted teeth, struggling to straighten her back.

"What did you say?" Snape inquired, putting a little more will into his spell.

"I said … Fuck you!" Alexa growled and stood upright.

"Crucio!" Snape roared and Alexa awaited the nightmarish pain to hit her. She dropped to her knees, her hands crossed over her chest, but she did not scream. It was the most painful experience she had in her life, it was pure agony and sheer torture straight to the nerve system, but it was… familiar. She suppressed her urge to puke as Snape put every drop of cruelty he had into that curse, she clenched her chest even tighter, as if trying to numb of the sharp daggers stabbing her. And then it stopped.

Alexa took a deep breath and calmly rose to her feet. "That was …satisfying." Snape said reluctantly.

"It's by far the worst thing I experienced," Alexa thought out loud, "But it's not as bad as it used to be…"

Snape smiled in a twisted way. "At first we fear that curse, and it adds to its …unpleasant effect." Snape said slowly, "But when we realize it's only pain, it becomes bearable."

"You seemed to be talking out of experience." Alexa said without thinking, and then bit her tongue, frightened by Snape's reaction.

"It was used against me in more than one occasion," Snape said mysteriously, wrapping his robes around him, like a giant bat.

"How do you keep risking your life, playing double agent, when no one believes you are trustworthy?" Alexa inquired in a burst of courage, knowing she is probably way out of line.

"Are you worried about joining the Order?" Snape asked, seeing right through her, "Afraid you won't be accepted?"

"It is not me I worry about," Alexa lowered her head, "It's regarding a friend of mine."

Snape nodded knowingly, silently watching her through black, unreadable eyes. "You assume no one trust me. You are wrong." He corrected her, pacing around the room, "I have Dumbledore's faith, and this is all that matters."

"So all you need is one person to trust you?" Alexa asked hopefully.

"And you need a reason." Snape said darkly, his expression turning even more severe.

"What's your reason?" Alexa asked, curious.

"I believe I have answered enough questions tonight, Miss Kaiser," Snape said coldly, walking towards the door. A loud slamming was heard and she was left alone. She sat down on the floor, right where she had stood, playing with her wand between her fingers, pondering. Though many speculated Snape's emotional range was narrowly limited to rage, contempt and a few mixtures of the two, Alexa highly doubted it. Snape was perfectly masking his feelings as always, but she could sense a change in him in the past few weeks. He was troubled, torn between great forces, maybe loyalties. But that could also be only an illusion of an exhausted mind, Alexa remarked to herself.

She looked down at her hands, the hands that already took a life, hands that were blood stained. She felt a pleasant tingling in her palms when she thought about the upcoming war, a comforting warmness filled her chest and a devilish smirk curled her lips. She would have her revenge.


	14. The beginning

**You can't really escape your destiny. It seems like all the choices Alexa makes can't change the path she's about to walk in. **

**It's going to get bloody from now on. prepare. **

**Thanks to Icarus and Cookiedow! **

* * *

**Chapter 14 : The Beginning**

"Potter, I am tired of arguing with you." Alexa said wearily, leaning her back against the cool stone of the wall behind her. Her hands unconsciously slid into her robes, finding a metallic article she always carried with her since she was attacked by Crabbe and Goyle; a family heirloom that made her feel safe.

"But how can you just let it happen?"Potter yelled her, and Alexa was relieved she casted a muting spell on the classroom once they entered it. "I know he was involved with Katie Bell's incident, and probably had something to do with the poison in Slughorn's drink, and that bloody Snape…." He howled, and the impatient Alexa pointed her wand at him and mumbled 'Silencio'.

"You don't know anything, you can't prove anything." Alexa reminded as he glared at her angrily, "I know for fact that he was indeed involved in all of the above. Nevertheless, Dumbledore allows him to go on with his mission. This has nothing to do with you, Potter, so stay out of it."

She removed the silencing spell from Potter, who was turning a frightening shade of frustrated red. "And what about Snape's unusual eagerness to help Malfoy?" Potter remarked.

"Snape is following Dumbledore's orders, unlike some of us." Alexa said poisonously.

"I don't buy this bullshit," Potter exclaimed, "I don't trust Snape. I don't know what he told Dumbledore to convince him he was trustworthy. He's a Death Eater."

"There is a reason why Dumbledore is considered the greatest wizard of our time; not you Potter, not the Dark Lord, not Snape. But Dumbledore." Alexa argued in a taunting voice, "And if he has a reason to believe Snape is loyal, then he is probably right. Not everyone who hates you is a Death Eater," Alexa said sharply, "I'm a living proof."

Potter groaned, "It's more than that." He protested, "I know he's evil."

"You know nothing, Potter," Alexa spat, jumping from the desk she had been sitting on to her feet, "All your choices were made for you; you were born to oppose the Dark Lord. No one ever questioned your loyalties, because it was so obvious." She walked to him, her face twisted with anger, "But Snape has a very good reason for taking these ridiculous risks, and while the reason is unknown to you, it does not give you the right to crucify him as traitor." She berated him, and stormed out of the room, trying to regain her composure.

The days passed abnormally slowly, as if trying to prevent the inevitable. Malfoy had seemed to avoid her methodically, and she did nothing to contact him; she found herself spending her days in the library with Granger, what proved to be much more productive than studying in the Slytherin's common room. It was quite another ordinary evening when she made her way to the Room of Requirement to practice a few spells she had read about when she heard voices, which did not belong to students. She pressed herself against the wall, picking over the corner to a parallel corridor to see figures dressed in black running through the hallway, screaming joyfully.

She inhaled deeply, pulling out her wand and quietly crossed the hallway, to the corridor they had gone through, in the general direction of the Room of Requirements. Then she heard a voice yelling, that could only belong to one annoying Weasley, and quickened her pace.

"Death Eaters! Malfoy!" Weasley panted, "They fooled us!" he cried out in frustration, an equally miserable looking female Weasley and another Gryffindor dork escorting him. He was talking to the person Alexa recognized as their third year Defense against Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.

"Let's go." Lupin said urgently, and began to run after the Death Eaters, the three students and another two figures she did not recognize followed him. Before she realized what she was doing, her legs carried her and she was right behind them, as they vaguely headed to the astronomy tower.

A few moments later they had caught up with the Death Eaters, and the battle began. Alexa recognized a few familiar faces; Doholov, the Carrow brothers and the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. She saw the Weasley girl falling backwards when a spells hit her and stepped forward, facing the Death Eater that attacked her. With a sharp whip of her wrist she blocked his attack, and with the same cool silence she jinxed him back, causing him to scream and cover his eyes.

A large, blonde Death Eater was sending hexes all over like a mad man, indiscriminately, carelessly, almost killing his own allays. One of his wandering spells nearly cut her head off, leaving a long line of blood across her cheek, were it brushed against her face, but she was focused on fighting another Death Eater already. She was too busy dodging Amycus's curses, rolling on the ground while he giggles evilly, colorful rays missing her by a bit. Alexa rose to her feet, having exactly split second to aim and with a furious wave of her wand cursed Carrow, hitting his chest and sending him to slam against the wall behind him, slowly sliding down to the ground.

Everything happened to fast, it all lasted mere minutes, another Death Eater joined the battle, coming down from the astronomy tower, and several other Death Eaters climbed the stairs, she saw Snape ran after them, but was too busy trying to stay alive. Many bodies lie on the ground, and she made and effort not to stumble upon them as she barely avoided a dangerous looking purple beam. She had no idea of what was going on, what were they doing in the tower, and how long could she last. She only heard her heart pounding like drum inside her head, and that thrilling jolt of energy – her will to survive.

She was fighting the man who came from the top of the tower, and it seemed like there were more Death Eaters than before, and though McGonagall had joined the fight as well, they were still losing. She greeted her teeth, blocking another vicious attack, and closed the distant between as she surprisingly rolled forward, stupefying him while still in motion. She pulled a dagger from her robes, set with emeralds and stamped with her family's crest, and leaped forward with a blood freezing scream. She imbed the blade all the way through the man's throat, watching him gurgle as blood tricked from the tips of his mouth, watching the life leaving his body.

She groaned painfully as something hard hit her back; a piece of the ceiling fell down and crushed on her. Apparently the massive Death Eater that hexed in every direction without a nonce of intelligence caused half of the ceiling to fall in. And then Snape and Malfoy came running down the stairs, she watched them as the crossed the hall, and Snape shouted, "Its over," and a moment later it all ended and the Death Eaters ran away.

She rose to her feet , still standing above the body, and pulled out her dagger from the man's flesh, wiping the blood on his black robe. When she looked up she saw Lupin's eyes on her, with a terrified mixture of appreciation and disgust. He was not the only one, McGonagall had given her a thoughtful stare as well, but a second later she told her softly to help and bring the wounded to the infirmary.

She had sat by the window, in the further side of the infirmary when Potter burst into the room. Madam Pomfrey tried to stable the other patients' condition, and seemed to have encounter difficulties with treating the one who was bit by Greyback. Alexa held the cotton to her cheek, trying to stop the bleeding, and listened as Potter had brought the terrible news; Dumbledore was dead.

"Snape killed Dumbledore," Potter's words echoed in her head.

McGonagall was mentally torturing herself for trusting Snape, Lupin had suggested that Snape was able to deceive Dumbledore with his outstanding Occlumency skills, Potter just enjoyed hating Snape even more.

"You all thinking like bloody Gryffindors," Alexa barked from her hidden corner, and suddenly all eyes were focused on her.

"Kindly enlightened us with the Slytherin perspective," Potter said mockingly.

"Dumbledore sacrificed himself." Alexa said flatly, "You are the one destined to fight the Dark Lord, not him. You do remember our ongoing argument about Malfoy's mission?"

"Malfoy was supposed to kill Dumbledore," Potter said angrily.

"He didn't apparently." Alexa said curtly.

"Because he was a coward." Potter spat.

"No. Because he is willing to take the offer, when the time is right." Alexa corrected him. "Snape killed Dumbledore because of the unbreakable vow; Snape had to finish Malfoy's mission if he failed to it himself."

"These are baseless theories!" Potter shouted, enraged.

"So are yours Potter," Alexa hissed, just as angry, "But it is easier to hate what is unknown to you, what you consider as different...How ironic Potter, you sound just like the Dark Lord's followers."

"You are full of shit, Kaiser." Potter spat furiously, "And you're probably one of them too."

Alexa's wand was out already when she launched forward from her isolated spot near the window, when Weasley stood between them. "I saw her fight, Harry," the redhead said in a quiet voice, "She was vicious."

"Yes, I witness myself how she … took care of Gibbon." Lupin confirmed.

"Where is he?" Potter growled, appearing vindictive.

"He's dead." Lupin said emotionlessly.

Potter looked at her through narrowed eyes, still suspicious. "Snape is not a traitor, Potter. Things will become clearer, and the truth will be revealed. In the meanwhile, I will leave you to inflame your loyal followers with prejudice tales of Snape's duplicity." She said sarcastically as she walked out of the infirmary. She halted at the door, and without turning around she said, "When you return to your senses, come and speak to me. I wish to know where I stand."

Alexa sat by the lake, under the same broad branched tree where she had her last discussion with Malfoy. She felt a wild urge to scratch her face viciously; the blood had dried on her cheek and the feeling was just utterly itchy. She let her head drop, and hid her face between her palms, taking in a few deep, moderated breathes, to avoid a panic attack. That was it; the war began.

Dumbledore was dead; the only person that ensured her protection was dead, and she turned her back on the Dark Lord in the most scathing, blunt way. She jumped to her feet, gripping her wand when she heard footsteps coming her way, but it was only Potter.

"Lower the wand, Kaiser," Potter growled, approaching her. She did so, eyeing him coolly, when he stopped in front of her, appearing hesitant. "I'll be honest with you; I think you're insane." Potter confessed and Alexa let out a bark of laughter, "Nevertheless, I can't allowed myself to be picky in these times…"

Alexa raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, "I need people who are ready to kill. I'm afraid many of my fellow Gryffindors lack that ruthlessness." Potter said in a quiet voice, giving her an earnest look.

"Well, I think it's quite obvious that I can do it." Alexa said bitterly.

Potter nodded severely, and seemed like he was carefully measuring his words. "What I tell you now is for your ears only, and shall never be repeated. Could you promise me that?" he shifted his weight from one leg to another, tensed.

"Of course. You have my word." Alexa said slowly, wandering what could be so secretive.

"We fight for the Light, so we are expected to act a certain way, even treat our enemies differently; we stand for everything that's good and noble…" Potter said dryly, "But it doesn't work that way in war. In war you have to be intimidating, dangerous, unpredictable." he paused, eyeing her with uncertainty. "I need you to be everything a Gryffindor can't be, Kaiser."

"Shrewd and with a healthy sense of self-preservation?" Alexa asked teasingly.

Potter chuckled, "I was thinking more about cunning and ruthless."

"These come naturally as well." Alexa replied casually, "What is your point, Potter?"

Potter sighed deeply, running a hand through his wild hair. "The point is…I need you to do horrible things. I need you to scare the shit out of the Death Eaters," Potter said in a cracked voice, and Alexa gulped. "I need you to be a monster, so they will fear you like they fear Voldemort."

"So how am I different from them?" Alexa inquired, a chill running down her spine.

"You're not." Potter said in a weak voice, "You'll be just as bad. But by spreading terror, you might help us win this war." He paused, letting his words sink, "So will you join the Order and became the Death Eaters' nightmare?"

"What about Malfoy?" Alexa questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, when he shows any sign of wanting to switch sides, you will have a fair chance to convince me. But right now, this argument is pointless." Potter claimed reasonably, "So, what's you answer?"

Alexa turned from Potter and looked back at the reeds near the lake, where she fought for her life for the first time, where she had taken a life for the first time. She closed her eyes, and horrid pictures popped in her mind, her own bloody deeds. She opened her eyes and settled her gaze on Potter, who seemed anxious.

"Let's give them hell, Potter," was Alexa's answer.

**Are you ready? :)**


	15. Guilt

**This is where it's getting darker. **

**War scars you, alters you. Alexa is starting to lose it. **

**Thank you Icarus, Cookiedow and Thrisha for commenting!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 15 : Guilt**

"So that disgusting Muggle debris is what you call home?" Alexa drawled, looking around in sheer revolt and trying not to touch anything, "I pitied you Potter because your parents are dead, and everybody wants you dead as well, but this…" she said, grimacing her face as if shit was smeared under her nose.

"How kind of you to join us." Potter replied dryly.

"I would never miss a good party." Alexa replied cynically, the newly adopted expression of elitist contempt plastered on her face. Unknowingly, she grew to be more and more like Malfoy.

"Here is your drink," Weasley handed her a flask, containing a Polyjuice with Potter's hair in it.

"You know, I'm really sad Malfoy isn't here," Alexa remarked, looking deadly seriously, "He always wanted to be like Potter, even for a few hours…" she said in a mean voice, sending the entire lot into roars of laughter.

"Never thought I'd say it to a Slytherin, but I missed you Kaiser," Potter said with a bitter smile.

"The apocalypse is near," Alexa grinned back, and raising her flask she said, "Cheers!" and emptied it in one gulp. "Potter, you taste like shit." She managed to say before the painful transformation.

"Your parents probably turning in their graves, right now," Mad-Eye Moody said not very tactfully, and Alexa awarded him with a death glare, which was much less convincing as she was looking like Potter.

Soon seven Potter had gone separate ways, each one to a different safe home. Mad-eye Moody did not survive that mission; it was the greatest grief she saw on their faces since Dumbledore's death. Things were not going as planned; the Dark Lord was gaining more power and control over the ministry, having the upper hand.

She clearly remembered her first shift; she was always partnered with Lupin at the beginning, so she could learn from someone more experienced than her. They were urgently summoned to an Auror's house after the Dark Mark was spotted over his home; nothing prepared her for what she saw there when they arrived. The Auror and his young, six month pregnant wife where not only dead, but also bisected, their organs scattered around the nicely furnished living room. Alexa felt her eyes tear and her stomach storm; a second later she was vomiting on the bloody carpet, Lupin was helping her stand and holding the hair out of her face. Lupin held her shaking body, while silent tears streamed on her puffy face, embracing her in a warm, fatherly hug until she regained her cool. It was a turning point.

She sent a letter to her grandparents saying that she was not coming back that summer; she had the faintest hope Voldemort would not bother to send his minions all the way to Germany, just to kill two almost senile wizards. She visited the Burrow a few times, attending Bill and Fleur's wedding – another celebration that was ruined by the Dark Lord's hands. There was so little happiness these days.

Alexa had participated in all of the raids on Death Eaters' houses and hidings; she was just as vicious as Potter asked her to be, sometimes even more, adding a bit of her personal touch. She would kill her enemies and then damaged the corpses until they were unrecognizable. Sometimes she would torture them, wringing out bits of information; she always promised them she would let them live if they talked. She never kept her promise.

"Alexa dear, finish your meal!" Molly Weasley ordered her in a commanding tone she did not dare to disobey; Alexa had very little liking to the Weasleys, but Molly was a maternal figure, like Narcissa was, and thus gained Alexa's trust easier.

Alexa played with the food in her plate, moving it from side to side, stabbing something with her fork and letting it drop down; eating was so hard when she had those hideous memories popping in her head. She took a hesitant bite, swallowing it slowly and making sure to keep it inside, while Molly was giving her an inspective look.

"Have you heard from the young Malfoy?" Molly asked in a soft voice, and Alexa cringed; it had been a few month since they separated.

"Not yet." Alexa replied in a mere whisper, putting her fork down and staring at a random point, expression blank.

"I'm sure you would soon," Molly said reassuringly and Alexa nodded robotically, taking a sip from her glass. Most of her actions were robotic lately, she had to suppress her humanity in order to keep her sanity; being a murderous monster was not that easy.

She helped to clear the dishes from the table and started to make her way to her room when Tonks called for her. "You're going on the raid tomorrow." Tonks informed her, and if Alexa had not been so tired she would raise an eyebrow; to participate in three raids, day after day was very rare.

"No problem." Alexa replied, with a shrug.

"I know it's kind of laden, all these operations in such a short while," Tonks remarked, running her hand through her bright pink hair, "If you feel it's too much, let me know."

"I can handle it," Alexa said, not very convincingly, rubbing her eyes, sunken and surrounded by dark circles. She was so tired, but she just could not sleep; her battles haunted her in her dreams.

Tonks looked to the sides, her irises darting and said in a lower voice, "Follow me to my room." Alexa was slightly surprised, but did as she was asked to. "You haven't been sleeping lately, right?" Tonks inquired, and the answered was quite obvious so Alexa nodded reluctantly.

"Take one before you go so sleep," Tonks told her, putting a small box of pills in Alexa's hands, "They are keeping me sane."

Alexa looked at the pills suspiciously; it was a Muggle product named Valium. After promising Tonks she would never tell about it, she returned to her room and swallowed one of the pills with a sip of water. She had very little faith it would help, but it did. The dreams became less vivid, the faces blurred and the frequency lowered.

Seeing the Muggle drugs were so effective, Alexa was curious to try more, and then an addictive cycle began; she would take amphetamines to make her sharper during operations, and then she would use Valium to dull her senses and her thoughts so she could rest. The stimulants improved her abilities, and the euphoric confident that came with it was intoxicating; Alexa was a superb duelist and everybody wanted to be partnered with her. But when she returned to the headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place, she would fall apart; break into tantrums or dive into a melancholic mood.

"Come on, Kaiser," Tonks urged her with a kind smile, "You have to eat. You look like a corpse," she remarked, giving her an examining look, "This is how you want to look like when Malfoy returns?"

"It doesn't matter what I look like." Alexa growled, yet lifted her fork and stabbed a piece of potato, reluctantly putting it in her mouth.

Tonks chuckled, "Of course it does. He's a young man, that's all they care about."

Alexa smiled at her, but it was a very sad smile. "It wouldn't change a thing even if I looked like Aphrodite."

"Why?" Tonks asked curiously, lively, though her eyes were murky, suspecting something was utterly wrong.

"Because I'm a murderer." Alexa voiced for the first time the guilty thoughts that tortured her, "I'm as foul as they are."

"It's not true," Tonks argued, shaking her head, "You're only doing what you have to do to survive. Sometimes you do it too eagerly, I must admit, but you're not evil…"

"Don't sugarcoat it, Tonks," Alexa said darkly, "You know exactly what I do, and it has little to do with self defense. Even members of the Order call me 'Angel of Death' when they think I'm not listening."

Tonks furrowed her eyebrows, "You know it's just a joke."

"I wish it was." Alexa mumbled bitterly to her glass, "I know that I should worry about making it through another day, but it don't care anymore." Alexa confessed, "Everything is so dull, tomorrow is going to be just like yesterday was, I don't remember what my reason was."

Tonks said deeply, and placed her elbows on the table, leaning forward. "Everything will look brighter when he comes."

"Do you believe he will switch sides?" Alexa asked faintly.

"I know you have complete faith in him. And I learned, over the few last months, to trust your judgment." Tonks admitted, pouring herself a glass of Firewhiskey.

"I feel sick every time I think about his despicable father, the things he does to Draco, and they things he makes Draco do," Alexa said in a quiet, moderated voice, trying to control her anger. "I have nothing to lose, but they have Narcissa to use against him…" Alexa paused, gripping her glass a little too tightly, "And that nymphomaniac psycho Bellatrix, putting her filthy hands on him…" Alexa shuddered at the thought.

Tonks broke into a wild laughter, "She's after Malfoy junior?" she asked with disbelief.

"She tries to seduce the son after she failed to win the father," Alexa spat with disgust, her blanch features even paler.

"I hear possessiveness in your voice, Kaiser," Tonks taunted.

Alexa shock her head, "Only repulsion at the thought of incest."

Tonks wore a revolted expression, which swiftly transformed into her teasing smirk, "But it's more than that. You don't want her messing with your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend." Alexa stated coldly.

"Do you expect me to believe it?" Tonks raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair, "Your loyalty and devotion has nothing to do with love?"

Alexa gulped, "Not the kind of love you think of."

Tonks crossed her hands over her chest and looked at Alexa through narrowed eyes, "Do you find him attractive?"

"He's… fairly good looking." Alexa replied, avoiding a direct answer.

"Did you kiss?" Tonks inquired, an amused grin playing on her lips.

Alexa stayed silent for a while. "Yes."

Tonks had a victorious expression, "Then what kind of love is it?"

"I gave Narcissa my word that her son will survive this war." Alexa said firmly, "And I will do whatever necessary to ensure it."

"That's very Slytherin of you," Tonks remarked, not hiding her contempt. "So you feel nothing for him more than loyalty and responsibility?"

Alexa stared gloomily at the wooden table, her expression unreadable. "It doesn't matter," she replied dismissively, waving her hand in emphasize, "I don't deserve him." She added in a mere whisper, and left the dining room, to hide in the darkness of her room. She took off her robes that were already three sizes too big on her and crawled into a miserable ball in her bed, hugging her knees to her chest in a very characteristic position. She knew she would survive this war somehow, she knew she would be known as a war heroine, that her name would be whispered in awe and respect and parents would tell their little kids about her courageous deeds. But only she would have to live with the notion that she was nothing more than a murderer.


	16. To the Rescue

**Malfoy and Alexa reunite, and an interesting relationship will blossom between the once-enemies-now-allies-nearly-dying-every-day.**

**I hope you enjoy it. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 16 : To the Rescue**

Alexa exited the bathroom, and slowly dragged her legs to her room, preparing for another mission. Downstairs Tonks was listening to music in a ridiculously high volume using that Muggle device; she could never recall what its name was. She put on her black silky robes and could not help but let her leg drum on the wooden floor, synchronized with the song's beat. Alexa was never a music fan and could not play an instrument or sing to save her life, but this song kept echoing in her head long after it ended.

"The changes that alter us  
are a product of our own volition  
and we become what we hate"*

It was so painfully true, disturbingly accurate; she chose her path and the responsibility for the crimes she committed everyday was hers only. She let that twisted world shape her perspective and design her character, turn her into an equally awful criminal. It was too late to change though.

It's been far too long since they heard from Potter and his deputies and vague rumors and not so reliable intelligence told they were held captive in the Malfoy Manor; Alexa knew very little about since it was not her field of responsibility. She sorely admitted she missed the pointless arguments with Potter and the long, productive brainstorming with Granger; she even missed Weasley's uselessness.

She never informed Blaise she was leaving, and she found herself wondering from time to time if he had given her a thought, or had she been only an insignificant object in his jewelry collection. But more than anything she yearned to see that arrogant smirk, or the contemptuous sneer, even the cold, unfathomable expression of Draco Malfoy. She lived with a constant sense of unease, of restlessness, not knowing what he was going through.

And then she felt a strange shudder right above her heart; her hand rose to clench her chest only to feel a certain solid object. She searched inside her robe, gasping in surprise when she reached a cold, sharp article – the Two-Way Mirror.

"Alexa," a voice whispered from the mirror. She looked into it, almost dropping the mirror on the floor from the shock to see Malfoy, his eyes darting to the sides nervously.

"Draco," she said softly, too softly.

"Now it's the time." he said in a low, urgent voice, "They have Potter, Granger and Weasley at the Manor. And they won't last long."

Alexa took a deep breath, trying to think clearly, "What about your mother?"

"Dead." Malfoy replied coldly, emotionlessly and Alexa flinched. "Alecto Carrow will be arriving to the manor in an hour, to verify their identities. Do you remember where the wine cellar was?" he asked her impatiently.

"Yes in the east wing." Alexa replied, seeing a vague picture of the place in her mind.

"This is where the cells are located." he informed her. "Today they aren't many Death Eaters at the Manor since they are preparing to block your raid in London, so you have to do it now. Let me know when you're inside the Manor." Draco instructed her before disappearing.

"Tonks!" Alexa yelled, running down the stairs, almost crushing into the pink haired woman. "The Death Eaters know about the raid. Potter and the others are held captive at the Malfoy Manor. I'm going now."

"Wait, Remus and I will come with you." Tonks said, grabbing her arm.

"You can't. You're not pureblood." Alexa replied reasonably, and Tonks seemed gloomy. "I need a Polyjuice potion, though. Do we have one in the stock?"

"Sure," Tonks answered, rushing to the storage. A second later she returned with a flask and a brown bag. Alexa hid the flask in her robe and watched the paper bag suspiciously, "I know I shouldn't be encouraging your drug addiction," Tonks said hesitantly, while handing Alexa the bag, "But this is not the time to wean you. These are the best pills in the market; they're stronger than what you usually take." Alexa picked into the bag curiously, "Good luck." Tonks added, punching her shoulder.

Alexa nodded and rushed out of the house, grabbing an old broom on her way out. She hated flying since Malfoy knocked her off her broom when they were eight, and she fell into the frog swamp in the back of the Manor, but there was no other way; the ministry, now openly owned by the Dark Lord, was watching the Floo network and the Apparition routes. She took two stimulants in one quick movement and kicked the ground beneath her, taking off into the air, determinedly directed to the Malfoy Manor.

Alexa waited patiently in the grove outside of the Malfoy Manor, knowing that the Carrow sister should appear any minute outside of the gates, since you could not Apparate in the Manor's territories. And then she saw a flash of light blonde hair, slicked back, and a heavy body in black robes; instinctively she pointed her wand at the figure and stupefied it, then quickly summoned the body before anyone would notice, hiding it well in the wild flora. She reluctantly took an oily white hair from the woman's head and dropped it into her Polyjuice potion, holding her nostrils shut while emptying the flask in one sip. "God, even Potter tasted better," Alexa muttered, while heading to the main gates.

"Who is it?" asked a nervous voice as she halted before the nasty longing iron gate.

"Alecto Carrow." Alexa replied coolly, running a hand through her greasy hair. They gates opened and she held her breathe; none of the wards alarmed when she stepped into the Manor, her pure blood perfecting her disguise. She nodded severely to a few fellow Death Eaters and marched confidently to the east wing, only to hear the agonizing screams of a certain Mudblood; they were torturing Granger. She stepped into the room were the Malfoys stood near the fireplace, looking slightly repulsed, and Bellatrix was joyfully abusing the bushy haired student. She noticed the werewolf presence as well.

"How nice of you to join us." Bellatrix said with a devilish giggle, lowering her wand and watching Alecto.

Alexa nodded curtly and said, "The Dark Lord shall be very pleased with all of you." She gave Draco a very meaningful look, hoping he would recognize her under her disguise, "But before we celebrate I will identify the suspects."

"They're in the cellar," Bellatrix replied with wild cheerfulness, madness playing in her eyes. Alexa fought to maintain her composure and act in character, walking calmly towards the prisoners' cells, while Granger's screams hurting her ears.

When she went down to the cellar, she saw a light and Potter was releasing himself from the ropes. They all froze in place when she entered the cold, mossy room, looking at her terrified; Potter, Weasley and another two students she recognized from Hogwarts. "It's Kaiser." Alexa whispered, and Potter eyed her suspiciously, "Malfoy told me you're here."

"How do we get out?" Potter asked urgently, jumping to his feet, "What's the plan?"

"There is no plan. We kill our way out." Alexa replied dryly, and pulled a bundle of wands out of her robe, "The six of us can surely –"

"The seven of us," someone drawled behind her, correcting her, "Your wands," he said in an icy voice, dropping the four wands on the floor, at the prisoners' feet.

Forgetting that she was still in Alecto's body, Alexa gave Malfoy a kind smile, thanking him with her eyes. "Don't smile at me when you look like that, Kaiser. It gives me the creeps." Malfoy said with a shudder, and Weasley chuckled.

"Follow me and Draco, stay together." Alexa spat, "As far as my mission concerns, I only have to get Potter out of here. So you could all just rot here," Alexa clarified in a vicious voice, "Weasley, take care of the Mudblood." Alexa said without thinking, and Draco grinned in his corner.

"Let's go." Draco said impatiently, while everybody got to their feet and found their wands. The six of them burst into the room where they tortured Granger, and simultaneously yelled different curses, neutralizing everyone in that room while Weasley got Granger.

And then they started running; Draco and Alexa at the front, knowing that the Death Eaters would hesitate for a second before attacking them. "Aim to kill." Alexa ordered them quietly while they made their way through the long, luxurious corridors of the Manor. As if to demonstrate how serious she was, she pointed her wand at a surprised Death Eater that came their way and with a casual voice, as casual as a greeting, spat "Avada Kedavra."

A ray of green light blasted out of her wand hitting the man right in his chest; he was dead even before he collapsed to the ground. She felt Malfoy's unnerved gaze on her face but she marched forward as if she did not notice it. After a few dangerous encounters in the corridors they have made it to the lawns and Alexa yelled at them, "Run to the gates, I'll cover for you."

Potter ran first, leading the group while Alexa and Malfoy stayed behind, fighting the many Death Eaters that flew from the building. These pills are definitely better, Alexa thought with a smirk, when her motions became so fast it was impossible to hit her. Green deadly beams missed her by an inch or two, as she stood confidently, aiming her wand carefully and mumbling different dark spells, killing or mortally injuring her enemies.

"Kaiser, let's go." She heard Potter yell from behind.

"Confringo," Alexa roared victoriously, aiming at the door where the Death Eaters came from, causing the entire wing to explode in flames. With a shriek of murderous joy she followed the prisoners outside of the Malfoy Manor, taking Potter's hand as he Disapparated from the Manor.

They appeared in front of a pastoral cottage, and the adrenaline rush that flooded Alexa moments ago calmed down, in exchange of a sharp pain in her right shoulder blade. "Kaiser, you have a dagger imbed on your back." Potter said with shock, as Alexa seemed to walk normally.

"I can barely feel anything right now, Potter," Alexa replied truthfully, she was too high on her drugs to really suffer from the pain, "I'll take care of it when we get inside."

Bill and Fleur welcomed their warmly and worriedly; the first one they attended to was Granger who seemed to be in a terrible state. She glanced at Malfoy, she could barely recognize his face since it was completely covered with blood, "What happened to you?" she asked softly, placing her hand on his arm.

"One of the chandeliers fell," he explained, agonizing, "Too bad, I actually liked that one," he added in his sarcastic voice. She pointed her wand at his face, cleaning some of the blood, just so he would look less like a complete mess, when Potter called for her. She was undressed from her robes, wearing a thin singlet, while Fleur struggled to pull out the dagger from her flesh; Alexa let out a loud growl.

"That was an impressive performance," Potter remarked, regarding their rescue, trying to distract her from the pain. "You made quite a progress while we weren't around."

"You have no idea, Potter," Alexa groaned, while Fleur was managing the dagger, cursing in fluent French.

"You destroyed half of my house," Malfoy mentioned without too much loss in his voice, "well, it's your house too." He added thoughtfully. Alexa raised a curious eyebrow. "My mother's will; she left you everything she had."

Alexa gapped for a moment and then howled in misery when the dagger was out, "Obviously I'll hand it over to you." Alexa said, noticing the dirty looks Potter was giving Malfoy.

Malfoy nodded stiffly, "This is way she did it. So my father wouldn't be able to disown my completely." He explained with a bitter voice.

"We need to talk, in private," Alexa informed Malfoy and he approved, "But first of all, you and I have something to discuss, Potter."

Once Fleur was done bandaging her, she moved to treat Malfoy, questioning him about his Veela blood. Alexa and Potter stepped outside to discuss their 'Malfoy business'.

*** The quote is from a Screeching Weasel song; I always thought Tonks was into Punk Rock.**


	17. Changes

**I'm in a terribly busy period, and I have very little time write. so I need you to encourage me.**

**And how would you do that? by reviewing! So simple.**

**And the plot goes on...**

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Changes**

There is no way I'm bringing him to our headquarters," Potter stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He saved your ass just an hour ago!" Alexa reminded him.

"Maybe it's a trick, to gain our trust," Potter suggested, leaning on the stony wall behind him.

"Don't be so blind by prejudice;" Alexa hissed in a low voice, "Don't you see he has a reason like all of us?"

"No, I don't." Potter replied calmly.

Alexa took a deep breath, fighting to maintain her cool but it was too much; she exploded; "You're a pompous sod, Potter! You think you have a monopoly on being miserable? Look at him!" Alexa screamed, pointing on the house, "He lost his house, his friends, his father would never recognize him as his son, his mother is dead!" Alexa's voice broke, as she was shaking with grief, "Narcissa's dead, you insensitive git!"

Potter launched forward, as if to comfort her, but halted himself. He looked at her through his broken glasses, his green eyes murky with doubt. "Fine." He spat angrily, frustrated, and marched into the cottage. Alexa waited a few moments, pacing nervously outside until her anger died down; she inhaled deeply and walked into the house with a calm expression, just to hear Bill saying, "So you've got to split into pairs, because we don't have enough rooms for all of you…"

"I'll be with Hermione," Weasley said, taking Granger's hand and leading her away from the living room. She seemed better, though still a bit shocked.

"I can share with Luna, if it's alright with you," said one of the other two students she only knew by face.

Draco gave her a mischievous grin before asking, "Will I be honored?" and offered her his hand.

"Hell will freeze before you share a room with anyone Malfoy!" Potter hissed, "She's staying with me."

They were already in each other's faces, wands drawn and ready to attack when Alexa cleared her throat. "Stop bickering like old ladies, before I take a room to myself, and leave you two to sort out your problems in a long, long, long…chat into the night."

They weighed this unwanted possibility, and slowly backed away, lowering their wands. "As much as I enjoy your company, Potter," Alexa said, sarcasm drifting from her words, "I have some catching out to do with Malfoy." She explained with a very meaningful glare. Potter shrugged defeated. "Shall we?" Alexa smiled at Malfoy, offering her hand.

"You look like shit," Malfoy said when Alexa came out of the shower, her light hair clinging to her skull like a puppy left in the rain.

"I'm glad to see you too, Malfoy," Alexa replied with a grin.

"I'm serious, you should take care of yourself," he said, honestly worried, as his eyes scanned her, "You lost weight. And you were scandalously skinny to begin with." He remarked, "And it's Draco, not Malfoy. I gave up on any connection to that family…" he trailed off, looking at his palms.

Alexa felt a sting of sadness in her chest and walked towards him, sitting beside him on the bed and taking his hand in hers. "You have a new family now." Alexa said sweetly.

"I don't want the Weasleys as family," Draco growled, "And sure as hell I don't Potter."

Alexa chuckled at his comment, squeezing his hand lightly, "What about me?" she asked, looking straight into his stormy eyes.

"You're the only one I have," Draco said quietly, not looking at her, "So I better not lose you too,"

"She's dead," Alexa half asked, half remarked, shaking her head in denial. Narcissa could not be dead; she had to live to see her son survive the war.

"Yes, Alexa," Draco said angrily, "Dead. As in, not alive. Not coming back. Buried six feet under our fucking stables," he almost yelled, clenching the sheets of the bed furiously.

"How?" Alexa whispered feeling like someone poured ice water down her throat, freezing her insides.

"Father…no, Lucius… he did it." Draco hissed, his nostrils flaring, "In one of his maniac attacks, he pushed her forcefully and she bumped her head against something hard. She was beautiful even when she was dead," Draco said in a blank voice, "She was perfect. Except from the blood the trickled from the back of her skull, on her hair, and her dress…"

He paused for a moment, staring into the space. "I think she did it on purpose. She teased him purposely, so he would finish her." Draco explained, his voice monotonic, "She knew she was the only reason I stayed."

She felt herself pulling him closer, hugging him tightly, and letting him burry his head in her neck. He was shivering, but he was not crying; they damaged him so much he could not even cry. She ran her fingers down his back; it was solid and muscular, quite different than the way it was a few months ago. He pulled away a little, inspecting her face closely, his hand caressing her face. He looked older, much older than he really was; forced to mature, toughened and hardened against his own will, he was no long the boy she remembered from Hogwarts. It made sense; she was not the girl he knew back at school.

"How bad was it?" she asked in a whisper, seeing the burden, the guilt in his grey eyes.

He let his hand drop down, and lowered his head, "It couldn't get worst." Draco replied in a hoarse voice, "They killed the Muggle studies teacher in front of my eyes, I nearly fainted," he added with a wry grin, "And then they started to give me tasks. I killed and tortured innocent people. And I had to look like I enjoyed it."

Alexa looked at him with a gloomy expression; his dreams would be haunted just like hers were. "Nothing that I or Lucius did had returned the Dark Lord's faith in the Malfoys." Draco said without much sadness, "On the contrary, he enjoyed mocking us in public, making us the center of his wicked jokes…" she could sense his wounded pride from thousand miles, "He took Lucius' wand."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through it," Alexa said wistfully, "But you have the ultimate opportunity to revenge your loss."

"I will avenge," Draco said in a poisonous voice, "Just the thought of those varmints, these so called Death Eaters, befouling my house with their filthy presence," he said behind gritted teeth, "Many of them aren't even purebloods."

Alexa laughed at his remark, "Well, you haven't completely changed, Draco," she said with a wide grin, looking at him with shiny eyes.

"You have changed quite drastically, from what I heard," Draco mentioned darkly.

"What do you mean?" Alexa asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.

"The things you did…" Draco replied, almost with fear. "The butchered corpses, the mutilated Death Eaters that you left behind to pass on a message, the torturing…"

"Why do you think it was I who did it?" Alexa inquired with a guilty smile.

"Because a few of them had AAK engraved into their flesh." Draco responded, not without disgust.

"Oh that," Alexa recalled, "I got the idea from a Muggle film actually, the Mask of Zorro. It about -"

"I know what it's about," Draco cut in rudely, "I still think you're sick." He stated, but his smile was genuine and she felt warmness appearing in her stomach at the sight of his smiling face. "Now it's your turn to share, and I'm sure you have plenty of stories," he commented with a lopsided smile.

"I have. But it's late and I'm tired." Alexa said, not willing to delve into her bloody crusade just yet, "Can we talk about it later?"

She could see he sensed her reluctance to open this subject, he nodded in understanding. She gave him a grateful smile and stood up walking to her side of the bed and sliding under the covers. Watching him take off his shirt and pants, remaining in his boxers. She could have denied it all she wanted, but he had an enviable body; not a nonce of fat, only lean muscle under a perfect pale skin. Almost perfect actually, as a few scars damaged the porcelain skin.

He slid into bed beside her, and she tried to rid the uncomfortable feeling of sharing a bed with an attractive, nearly naked man, but it seemed like he decided to make it even harder for her. She felt his body right next to hers, his arms reaching out for her, pulling her closer to him in a tight embrace; she lied on her side, facing him as his arms were wrapped around her waist. He licked his lips unconsciously and raised on of his hands to cup her cheek, guiding them into a sweet kiss the lasted almost until sunrise.

They held onto each other as if their lives depended on it, caressing and tasting, discovering and comforting. She gave into his gentle touch, surrendered to his tenderness and warmth, trusting him not to do more than she was willing to. And he was exactly what she needed at that very moment, precisely what she expected him to be; holding her with mild strength, kissing her with genuine affection. She fell asleep in his arms just before morning came, falling into a peaceful sleep without her pills, for the first time since she left Hogwarts.

When she woke it was early noon, and the sun caressed her skin with warm beams; for a second she forgot everything about the war. She felt his solid body pressed against her back, his arm wrapped around her waist and his face nestled in her neck; she was enveloped with hankering and protection. She slowly disconnected herself from his grip, careful not to wake him up, and went to the bathroom to refresh, before going down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. A much healthy looking Hermione handed her a cup of the hot brown liquid.

"How are you feeling?" Alexa asked politely.

"Much better. Almost as if yesterday didn't happen." Hermione said bitterly, and Alexa furrowed her eyebrows. When did she start to think of her as Hermione instead of Granger, or Mudblood?

"You need more than that to kill a Mudblood," Alexa remarked, "The Dark Lord had taken an impossible mission upon himself…"

Weasley gave her a death glare, Potter snorted into his mug. "If it wasn't you saying that, I would probably feel hurt," Hermione said thoughtfully, "But you made it sound almost complimenting." She added with a smile. Alexa rolled her eyes.

"We have to figure out where we are going from here." Potter stated.

"Why not Hogsmeade?" Weasley suggested, and Alexa gave him a degrading glare.

"Because Hogsmeade is protected with myriad of wards that will alarm the second Potter sets his foot there." Alexa remarked, taking a sip of her coffee, "But if there something you need from there specifically, I can take someone with me …"

"Like you could set your foot there without alerting all of the Death Eaters in the country, Kaiser," a drawl was heard behind her, and she turned to see Draco leaning on the counter, supporting his chin with his palm and looking at her amused, "You do realize the Dark Lord wants your head as decoration for his living room?"

"I guess I didn't." Alexa replied pensively, she had never given it much thought.

"Then I can give you inside information" Draco said smugly, walking towards her, "He hates you almost as much as he hates Potter. But while Potter survives mainly because of his heavenly fortune and highly skilled friends, no offense, Potter," Draco glanced at Potter.

"None taken."

"Your acts are based on pure talent. And you're a pureblood from a respected family, formerly Death Eaters," Draco continued, "It makes it much harder to hate you. But you definitely made it happen."

"It's not really pure talent, you know," Alexa said dryly, "Snape taught me nearly everything I know."

"We've all been to Snape's classes, and none of us can do what you can do." Hermione said, chewing on a biscuit.

"I had extra classes, every Thursday night," Alexa confessed, watching their eyes widen.

"It makes perfect sense now," Draco drawled, "I remember you lurking around the Room of Requirement in very odd hours of the night."

"Do you recall Snape summoning us to his office to rebuke us for misbehaving?" Alexa inquired and he nodded, "Just after you told me that I can choose between joining the Dark Lord and dying, I reentered Snape's office, and asked him to tutor me."

"And he actually agreed?" Potter almost chocked on his coffee.

"I'm still alive, don't I?" Alexa said in annoyance, "Snape is by far the best teacher I had, and involuntarily, a mentor as well. I spent many hours with him Potter, and whilst I can definitely agree he isn't the most charming person I've met –"

"-That would be me." Draco cut in with a smirk.

"He's certainly not a traitor." Alexa completed her sentence.

"Times will tell," Potter said wryly, still not convinced.


	18. Home

**So here's another chapter for you, even though you don't comment. Naughty readers!**

**I want to thank the lovely Viva Regina Cecilia for Beta reading this story. You should thank her too :)**

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Home**

Potter chose an extremely long way to return to 12 Grimmauld Place. He justified it by saying he did not want any Death Eaters following them to the headquarters; Alexa knew he only wanted more time to see if Draco was trustworthy, before bringing him in. They were on the road for many days, moving in the darkest hours, in the most unknown trails; she was positively surprised when they finally got somewhere. The journey was mostly quiet, the five former prisoners were yet in a certain state of shock, still digesting the nearly fatal experience they had. Draco was gloomy, grim, grieving; he lost that cocky shine he used to have for the dimness of melancholy.

Alexa was mainly impatient, anxious about the operations she missed and frustrated for traveling for so long, like a security guard on an annual trip, instead of participating in the war. But this time of relative peace left her with more hours to ponder than she wished to have, and a decision was maturing in her mind; when the war ends, she would leave everything behind, and start over somewhere completely new.

When they had finally reached the headquarters, and Potter reluctantly revealed the address to Draco, Alexa noticed an ironic resemblance; the house was just as glum and somber as Draco was. He was a Black after all, and Blacks tended to have a tragic ending. Bellatrix was a Black who for the time being, managed to escape this dire faith, but Alexa took it upon herself to fix it, as soon as possible.

Everybody was in the living room when the small delegation arrived; Molly broke into cry of relief and the other members were eased just as well, though in a more subtle way. But the joy came to an end shortly after, when the Order noticed the last person to enter the house; the bliss had morphed into a tensioned, suffocating silence.

"We have… a guest." Potter uttered eventually, all eyes darting between him and Draco. "We shall discuss the offer to accept him as an official member of the Order in the conference room." Potter said, sending meaningful glares at the protesters that expressed their objection, "Kaiser, stay with him." He ordered, not wanting to leave Draco alone. It could be out of honest consideration and care, but more likely it was a way to ensure Draco would not stray freely.

She motioned at the couch in front of the fireplace, and they both sat down; Draco losing any drop of color from his already pale face, "So what now?" he asked in a hoarse voice, as if he had not spoken for a long time.

"We wait. They have to reach a unanimous decision to accept you," Alexa explained, "It might take all night."

"It will never happen." Draco stated pessimistically, "I saw the way some of them looked at me; they will never approve." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, "There was a certain Weasley, with scars…he seemed the most hateful."

"That would be Bill," Alexa said, staring into the fire, "He was wounded by the werewolf, when you sneaked the Death Eaters into Hogwarts…" Alexa paused, looking at Draco's horrified expression. "I can't blame him for seeing you as responsible."

"Neither do I." Draco replied, sinking deeper into the couch.

"I wouldn't pretend to like the Weasleys," Alexa said sincerely, "But you should know that they are good hearted and forgiving; immensely influenced by Dumbledore's approach." She tried to cheer him, "Anyway, they would have to agree."

"Why?" he asked, sounding miserable.

"Because Potter is in charge of this chicken coop," Draco chuckled at her remark, "And we made a deal. This is his part of the bargain."

"What's your part?" Draco lifted his head, looking at her.

"I swore to secrecy." Alexa said flatly, shaking her head "But it wouldn't be hard to guess what I've taken upon myself in exchanged for sanctuary."

He looked at her pensively; the dancing flames reflected in his eyes, a sad contradiction to the darkness and coldness in his grey poles. He never looked so neglected in his life, with his filthy, torn clothes and the dirty hair clung to his forehead; the Draco she knew was perfectly groomed from the soles of his shoes to the tips of his hair. But he also appeared much more mature, radiating some sort of mental strength she envied, she lacked. He did not try to pry, and instead of asking another question he just took her into his arms, placing her in his lap and held her close. They both needed comfort and they found it in each other, sticking together, as the last remains of the world they once knew.

They woke up in the morning, still cuddled, and Alexa could hear Hermione calling them 'cute', and Weasley imitating vomiting noises. There was a loud sound of a blow and then the redhead shrieked in pain. She escaped Draco's grip and made her way to the kitchen rubbing her eyes.

"He's in." Potter informed her, while handing her coffee. He was really getting very useful.

"Good." Alexa said in a raspy voice, and coughed dryly, still half asleep. "I need some clean clothes for him," she looked at Potter and Weasley, who looked at each other with qualm.

"I'll give him some of mine," Potter sighed, "Ron is much chubbier than him anyway."

"Are you calling me fat?" Weasley exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips, very much like his mother did ever so often.

"I thought it was quite clear," Potter replied dryly, while walking to his room, obviously in an exceptionally bad mood.

"You're fine, Ron," Hermione said, petting his arm in a comforting way.

"Disgusting," Alexa mumbled, turning her head from that display of emotions.

"You Hypocrite," Hermione laughed, "We all saw you cuddling with Malfoy like newlyweds."

"It's different." Alexa stated, stubbornly, not wanting to divulge Hermione into their difficult past.

"Right…" Hermione dismissed her, "You better wake him up and get him cleaned. Molly is starting to make breakfast in a few minutes.

Alexa shuffled tiredly to the living room, and gave Draco a gentle shake; he opened his eyes immediately, looking around in panic. "We should take a shower before breakfast." she told him.

"Together?" he smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes; he had not completely matured.

When she walked out of the bathroom, he simultaneously walked out of the other bathroom at the opposite end of the hall. She gave him an inspective look; he was wearing Potter's clothes, but it looked different. Potter's clothes were random rags sewed together but Draco actually managed to look quite decent, and that is when the amusing realization hit her; that vain boy charmed the clothes!

"You're wearing Muggle clothes." Draco stated the obvious, watching her interestedly. She just looked at him blankly. "Strangely, I think it looks good on you. What are these shoes?"

Alexa looked down, at her white singlet and skinny jeans, wandering if she had worn it in other circumstances. "These are Vans, they are designed for skaters. Really comfortable. "

"Skaters?" Draco raised a confused eyebrow.

"You have got a lot to learn about the Muggle world," Alexa said tiredly, "But we will deal with that after breakfast."

When they walked down the stairs everybody was already present in the kitchen, escorting them with their eyes. Again, that awkward silence filled the room, and she could hear Draco's heart beating in his chest. "You've grown to be such a handsome young man," Molly suddenly declared, stepping forward and giving him a warm, motherly hug. Draco seemed surprised, but equally grateful.

The tension was slightly eased, and they sat down to eat, focusing on Molly's delicious cooking instead of old rivalries and mistrust. Draco was placed between Molly and Alexa, a strategic location meant to maintain his safety and to avoid any quarrels. "I see you personally responsible for Alexa," Molly informed him. "Look how fragile she is. She's merely pecking at her food, so make sure she eats."

Draco agreed and gave Alexa an authoritative stare, motioning her to finish her omelet and handing her another toast. The meal passed pleasantly, without unfortunate incidents and when they were done eating Tonks had requested to speak to her.

She followed Tonks into a room where Potter and Lupin were already seated, after giving Draco a reassuring smile. "We're planning the shift schedules, and the future raids." Tonks informed her.

"How skilled is the young Malfoy in dueling?" Lupin asked in his characteristic calm and polite manner.

"He was trained by Bellatrix and Lucius. I'd say he's pretty good." Alexa replied with a shrug.

"I saw him at the Malfoy Manor," Potter intervened "He's capable. The question is how much we trust him."

"You voted to accept him." Alexa remarked, her eyebrows furrowed and her frustration rising.

"We agreed to give him shelter," Potter clarified, "I never said I trusted him with the life of my friends."

Alexa frowned. "Then pair him with me. Am I trustworthy enough?" she scoffed.

"Kaiser, in case he shows any sign of treachery," Potter said severely, "Can I rely on you to kill him?"

Alexa closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. "Yes." She replied in a shaky voice.

Potter nodded, "Fine. You both have a shift tonight, I expect you to teach him the procedure and make sure everything goes smoothly. And you're scheduled for the next raid."

"I'll inform him," Alexa said, standing up to leave "Anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"No." Potter answered, "I just hope you're right about him. I'd hate to lose an experienced member like you."

Alexa smirked, it was Potter's lame attempt of saying something nice. "You won't." she promised and walked out the door, on her way to speak to Draco.

And so another period started, in which Alexa and Draco were finally on the same side. One would think having Draco by her side would make Alexa placid, but it only increased her anxiety. There was something distortedly comforting in not knowing his whereabouts and actions, a easing bliss of ignorance, but having him so close was more terrifying than she ever imagined. Before, she was only watching out for herself , but now she had to constantly keep an eye on Draco, since losing him after they had gone so far was just implausible. Draco had soon proved that he was fully capable of handling the missions, yet the ominous feeling never left her.

Instead of pulling her out of her vicious circle of drug use, breakdowns, tantrums, malnutrition and self flagellation, Draco's presence only worsened it. Because Draco knew who she was before the war, and he could see how much she changed; she was ashamed. It was in one of their shared shift that she tried to tell him how she felt, but never managed to get the words out of her mouth.

They were watching the ministry, taking notes of the people entering and leaving, in the darkest hours of the night. She looked at him closely, her eyes tracing his jaw line, and moving to his slightly cracked lips, and his grey eyes that seemed to contain the darkness of the night.

"I admire you." She said out loud, not realizing she did so until she heard the words come out.

He turned his head to watch her with surprise, a smile gracing his face. "Why?"

"Because you made the hardest decision. You chose to abandon the Dark Lord in his brightest glory, holding Potter as prisoner." Alexa said, a hint of pride in her voice, "And you joined people that were foreign to you in so many ways, even hostile at times." She looked down at her palms, "And you managed to keep your humanity through all of this, unlike…" she trailed off. Unlike me, she wanted to say, but it got stuck in her throat.

He looked at her silently for a while, his eyes clouded with thoughts. His hair was longer than usual, reaching down to his shoulders, giving him an elfish look. She could not decided if she like it or nor; he was beautiful, but he reminded her of Lucius so much. "I guess I had a very good reason," he remarked in a soft voice, his gaze fixed on her in a way that was unequivocal. She shuddered under the intensity of his eyes, and looked away.

The rest of the shift passed in silence.


	19. Innocence

**This chapter is rightfully rated M, so don't read it when your parents are watching :)**

**Once again, a round of applause for my beta reader, Cecilia. **

**And a warm thank you to Icarus and Marinapanic for commenting.**

* * *

**Chapter 19 : Innocence **

Alexa could not sleep. The pills were starting to lose their effect as her body got accustomed to it, and she considered increasing her dosage; she knew it was dangerous. She tiredly walked out of her room, planning to find an interesting book in the library to distract her from her troubles. She went down the stairs, and the voices of a conversation reached her ears, drawing her towards the living room. The display she witnessed was hilarious; Potter and Draco lazing on the carpet near the fireplace, passing an almost empty bottle of Firewhiskey between them and exchanging insults in a drunken voice.

"I really wish I could see things from your point of view, Malfoy," Potter slurred. "But I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass."

"Don't get me started about things that go up your ass," Malfoy retorted, "Though I personally think that being with Weasley and his sister is really sick."

"Pass the whiskey already," Potter groaned, sending a limp hand to grab the bottle, "Hearing that from someone whose family had been marrying each other for the past thousand years…somewhat hypocritical, wouldn't you say?"

"Shut up Potter," Malfoy said lazily, handing him the whiskey, "I really pity you for being an orphan, but I would be more rue for your parents if there were still alive…."

She put her hand to her mouth, blocking a giggle, and walked away to the library, these shows were quite regular. It was Potter and Draco's way of bonding; they would get drunk, insult each other, and would often get into a fist fight or threw hexes. She remembered finding them one morning sleeping on the floor. Potter had a tail and was wearing a red thong, Draco seemed unharmed until he woke up and spoke; his usual deep drawl was replied by a high pitched girlie voice that sent her into the hysterics of laughter.

There were a few moments of happiness among the everlasting months of the war and Alexa treasured them. There was that one evening when they returned from a successful raid and their mood was exceptionally high. After a very late dinner Hermione put on some music and they were all singing and dancing in the kitchen.

"Somebody" Potter and the youngest Weasley sang.

"Somebody!" Hermione and her private own Weasley chanted

"Can anybody find me somebody to love?" Tonks and Lupin joined in prefect harmonics, with wide grins spread on their faces.

She looked puzzled at the odd show with the slightest feeling of alienation, when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, turning around to see Draco. He looked down at her with a soft expression and placed his hands on her waist, rocking her to the melody and singing the lyrics quietly.

"Do you know it?" she asked, surprised.

"Obviously." He replied in his arrogant voice, pulling her a little bit closer, in a very rare public display of affection; they were always quite distant around the others.

"Really?" Hermione asked, her eyebrow rising so high it almost touched her hairline. "You know Muggle music?"

"Come on, Granger," Malfoy intoned, "Freddy Mercury was a wizard. Do you really thing a Muggle could write something so superb?"

Alexa smiled at his comment and leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling even wider when another song began and he still held her in his arms. It felt safe, comforting, natural, and she engraved that moment in her memory, knowing it would not last, knowing she was not worthy of that happiness. She inhaled, taking in his scent mixed with the cologne; it was like the first puff of a cigarette after a long time without it. The terrifying realization that Draco was not only somebody she had to save, someone she was loyal to, that he was far more than that, began to sink down. As if she lacked drama in her life.

A few days later they had raided the Nott mansion; Potter believed there was something of value that was hidden there, but the Death Eaters were ready for the attack. It was by far the worst battle she had participated in and the fear only made her more brutal. She could not remember how many people died by her wand that night, though she could clearly hear the sound of their begging echoing in her head. Her throat was dry and aching from the banshee scream that escaped her mouth when she was sure Draco was hit by a certain green ray; her stomach was still nauseous from taking the assaulter's eyes out with her dagger.

She stumbled to her room, all her energy had drained away during the battle and when the adrenaline was gone, fatigue had taken over. She stayed in the shower for almost an hour, scrubbing her skin until it bled, trying to rid the feeling of being filthy, but nothing managed to remove her shame. She collapsed on the bed, curling into a pitiful ball, wishing she would just disappear; she did not realize what she had taken upon herself that day when she accepted Potter's offer. A few miserable sobs escaped her lips but she immediately silenced herself when she heard footsteps near her room, probably someone going to the bathroom.

"Alexa?" A hesitant voice said behind her door, "Can I come in?"

"No," She replied flatly, trying to keep her emotions in control.

"Sorry, I can't hear what you said, I'll just have to come in." the door opened and a sleepy looking Draco walked into her room, barely dressed with a pair of green boxers. She tried to wipe her tears quickly before he would noticed but her attempts were useless, since he heard her cry when he walked by her room. He moved to sit on the side of her bed, she felt his weight sinking into the mattress, and she covered her head with her hands, not wanting him to see her this way.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly, his hand caressing her hair. She did not answer. "Come on, I know something is wrong. You're a mess, Kaiser, and you have been for quite a long time."

"I don't want to talk about it." she mumbled, pulling her knees closer to her chest.

"But I do," he said firmly, "I think I deserve to know, out of everyone here, what is wrong?"

"Fine!" she said angrily, sitting up with her legs crossed, "Everything is wrong."

He sighed deeply, reaching to hold her hand, waiting for her to continue. "Do you know that I'm not afraid to die?" Alexa said in a emotionless tone, as if it was not her talking.

"Why?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed.

"Because living is far more frightening ." she said in a whisper, "Living with the memories, the guilt, the notion that I'm a monster disguised as a hero." She looked away from him, gripping the sheets of the bed, "And the nightmares. They will never go away."

"You're not a monster." Draco said, placing his thumb under her chin and forcing her to look at him.

"Can you really say it after seeing me in action?" she hissed, her eyes glowing dangerously.

"You do what you have to do." He shrugged.

"That's a poor excuse." Alexa stated, "I would perfectly fit at the Dark Lord's right, doing what I have to do." Her voice broke. "I'm ashamed of this role I'm playing."

Draco looked at her worriedly, not sure how to deal with the situation; they both knew she did horrid things. He wrapped his hands around her, holding her fragile frame, and rubbed her back, as if calming a little child. "I think you would perfectly fit at my right," he told her, "You can call me your dark lord…it's really kinky."

She giggled at his comment and fixed her gaze on his face, giving him a small smile. Her hands rose to his hair, playing with his bangs and then settling on his nape, pulling him down towards her and kissing him coyly. But her shyness did not last, and soon turned into a heated passion, sliding her tongue into his mouth. Draco, determined to regain his dominance as a male, slowly began to push her down to lie, half covering her with his body. She let her hands wander across his body, as if trying to memorize every angle and every edge, roaming further than she ever dared before.

His lips moved to her neck, and down to her bare shoulders while his hands moved upwards under her singlet, making her shudder with sensation she barely knew. She chuckled to herself; she was probably the only girl that managed to remain innocent around Draco for so long. He moaned when she pulled him up to kiss his lips, grazing her pelvis against his in the process, and she smiled against his lips demonically. "If you don't stop me now…" Draco warned her, looking down at her with glowing eyes, drinking her appearance.

"Distract me." She said softly, pulling him down to another kiss, inviting him to go further, and so he did. It was not long before her singlet was off and she was exposed for the first time of her life, discovering the pleasure of his sweet kisses on her stomach and the teasing nibbles at her nipples.

The pure bliss of hearing him groan as he rubbed his erection against her, the delight of his fingers traveling across her inner thigh and relish when he removed her knickers and touched her right where she needed it; it was so overwhelming that her mind was emptied from any other thought.

Every one of her senses was stimulated; her eyes tried to take him all at once and then zoom on her favorite parts, her mouth tasted him and his mint toothpaste, her hands shifted from the softness of his hair to the firmness of his muscle and her entire body itched with anticipation.

He watched her hesitantly when he placed his naked body between her legs, asking for permission to enter her and make her his own. There was no one in the world she wanted more than him at that moment. Actually, there was no one in the world but him. She bit her lips when he penetrated her, digging her fingers into his shoulders when the pain washed over her, trying to focus on the soothing kisses he showered her with. He closed his eyes, resting inside her, letting her adjust to his presence, fighting the temptation to thrust hard and mercilessly to ease the pressure in his loins.

He was not the spoiled brat he used to be; he was a grown man, considerate and responsible. The grey eyes were finally smiling at her, after so many days of coldness and dullness, when he started to move again, slow and gentle. And it was only the beginning; Draco spent the rest of the night trying to make her peak in many different ways, searching for the right spots and the prefect rhythm, watching her reactions until he could feel the involuntary shiver, and the uncontrollable moans.

He finally collapsed on top of her when the morning light penetrated through the window and gave his hair a golden, angelic glow. She grazed his back with her fingers, causing him to purr in pleasure, his breathe hitting her neck, and his arms wrapped around her.

"I always knew it." He mumbled into her skin, causing her to shiver.

"Knew what ?" She asked, tiredly, moving one hands to caress his hair.

"That I would be your first." He replied with an obvious smugness.

"Maybe you should try out for the divination teacher position when the war is over." she replied jokingly, imaging Draco in Trelawney's clothes, hovering over a crystal ball.

He chuckled, rolling off her and laying by her side, his head turned to look at her. "No, I just made sure all the Slytherins knew you were off limits." Draco confessed, "And I explained it, not so politely, to the other students, when I noticed they were suspiciously interested in you."

"I really wondered why guys never talked to me during my entire time in Hogwarts," Alexa shook her head, a six years mystery finally resolved. "Though Blaise was pretty daring this year."

"Blaise actually liked you," Draco said quietly, "And he was always quite independent and hard to control." He paused, thoughtful, "But I guess it wasn't enough." He ended in triumph.

"Malfoy's always get what they want…" Alexa murmured, slightly angry about Draco's possessive behavior.

"No," he smirked at her devilishly, and planted a soft kiss on her lips, "Draco always gets what he wants."


	20. Break In

**I just realized my last chapter got zero reviews. Isn't that offensive?**

**The next chapter will be the last one. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 20 - Break In**

Alexa and Draco sat in the conference room, Weasley and Hermione occupying the chairs in front of the, while Potter paced manically around the room.

"Potter, will you please sit down? You're making me dizzy." Alexa groaned, leaning back in her chair, rubbing her temples with her fingers. She had not slept that night, being on a mission, and she was starting to feel the fatigue wash over her. He seemed to be pulled out of his trance, and looked at her like he had seen her for the first time.

"I thought it was about time I share with you a few things," Potter said slowly, considering his words. "Both of you have proven to very valuable to the Order, and I feel you deserve to know. Maybe you could even help us." Potter sent a silencing glare to Weasley, who was about to protest.

"On our sixth year, I had lessons with Dumbledore," Potter told them, his voice poignant, "Where I learn of Voldemort's past," Alexa could see Draco cringe at the mention of the explicit name, "and the source of his immortality."

Potter looked at Hermione, waiting for her to explain. "There is a certain type of Dark magic that allows you to hide a piece of your soul in a certain object, and thus preventing you from dying when your body is destroyed. In order to split your soul, you need to perform a supreme act of evil," Hermione paused dramatically, "Murder. That object containing your soul is called –"

"- Horcrux." Draco completed her sentence in a low whisper, earning surprised stares from all of them.

"Never underestimate a ferret," Weasley said cheerfully, but regretted it quickly as he was forcefully thrown against the wall behind him, his limp body slowly sliding down to the floor. Alexa saw Draco gripping his wand under the table; Weasley deserved to be stupefied.

Hermione glanced at Weasley, seeing that he was not injured, and returned her gaze to Draco, "How do you know that?"

"Seriously Granger, do I have to remind you where I grew up?"Draco intoned with a dark expression on his face.

"How many?" Alexa asked quietly, closing her eyes. Potter looked puzzled so she sharpened her question, "How many Horcruxes did he make?"

"Seven." Hermione uttered with a stutter.

Draco hid his face in his palm, mumbling something incoherent. Alexa felt the very same way; the situation seemed hopeless. "Three of them were all ready destroyed." Potter said, trying to cheer them, "One was the diary of Tom Riddle, the second was his grandfather's ring. And there was Salazar Slytherin's locket." Potter counted.

"The Dark Lord seems to fancy heirlooms and objects of historical value to hide his soul in. How vain." Alexa remarked snidely.

"Do you know what the remaining four are?" Draco asked urgently.

"We have our suspicions," Potter replied hesitantly, "As Alexa mentioned, he does seem to prefer meaningful objects to confine his soul in. We assume another two are Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup."

"The cup is stored in the Lestrange family vault in Gringotts." Hermione said.

"You're going to break into Gringotts?" Draco exclaimed, torn between horror and laughter. "You're suicidal."

"We've got it planned out, Malfoy," Potter said dryly, "But we need you to create a decent distraction. Do you thing you can come up with something?"

Alexa grinned widely, madly. "Consider it covered."

"Then I think were done here." Potter shrugged, "You two look like you can use some sleep."

Alexa nodded and stood up walking to the door, when she noticed Draco was not following her. She looked back to him still sitting in his chair, as if paralyzed. "Could the Horcrux be a living being, Potter?" Draco asked in a crooked voice.

"I suppose…" Potter replied uncertainly, looking at Hermione who seemed to agree.

"Then your sixth Horcrux is Nagini." Draco stated gloomily, raising to his feet, and joining Alexa at the door step. Potter looked at Hermione questioningly, and then at Alexa.

"It makes sense, Potter," Alexa commented, "He almost cares about that ugly snake." Potter's eyebrows furrowed, "But if that's proven to be correct, you would not like to hear what the seventh Horcrux is." She said ominously.

"Humor me." He said gravely.

"In my humble opinion," Alexa drawled, "The seventh Horcrux would be you." And with that unnerving statement she left the room, Draco following her closely behind.

They made preparation for the Gringott's break in; Alexa had a vague idea of how to cause maximum chaos, Draco donated the information regarding the Death Eater's whereabouts and the Weasley twins were recruited for technical consultation. As one of them rephrased it perfectly, it was going to be a blast.

Many restless days passed while planning the ultimate distraction; it demanded perfect timing and careful lay out as they were dealing with fields they have never investigated before, and practicing those so far untouched areas, they suffered painful injuries. But not everything was painful.

Alexa had discovered her new addiction; Draco. When everything seemed pointless and gloomy, when her self-loathing had increased to be unbearable, when the pills' effect had dulled and wore out, he would take her mind off it. That first night of shy, innocent love making had been nothing but an appetizer to what came afterwards, her once lonely nights were replaced by long session of lust and comfort. Both of them needed that escapism, to lose themselves in the others body, to arouse their senses to a point where they overcame the horrors in their minds.

Draco justified his glorious reputation from school, Alexa was a quick learner; the combination was destructively luscious. No matter how tired they were, how dirty, how wounded or troubled, they would meet for what had become a ritual of spiritual elevation, protecting them from insanity for another night. The only thing keeping Alexa from falling into a an abyss of self destruction was feeling Draco's hot, solid body grinding against hers, hearing his throaty groans when he ravished her and losing her control entirely for his domineering acts of passion. They gasped, they moaned, they panted, but they never talked.

And then they day of the break in arrived. Everybody was recruited for it, and Alexa watched proudly as Draco briefed them on the mission, only a few months after her joined the order, he gained most of the members' respect, if not trust. They would attack simultaneously in five different places, divided to five teams; the Malfoy Manor, the Nott's mansion, the Lestrange estate, a secret base in Hogsmeade and the ministry.

"The ministry?" Arthur Weasley cried out, "Innocent people are working there."

"Relax, dad," One of the Weasley twins said in a cheerful voice, "It's not really an attack, just a spectacular display of our newest products." He explained with a smile.

"How do we divide the teams?" Lupin asked in his pleasant voice. Alexa found herself liking the kind hearted werewolf, something about his presence was soothing and consoling.

"Lupin, Tonks and Charlie Weasley," Draco named in an emotionless voice, "Nott's mansion. Fleur and Bill will be at the Lestrange estate. Placed in Hogsmeade are Molly and Arthur," Draco paused, and Alexa could swear she saw him smile at Molly, "The Weasley twins are orchestrating the show at the ministry." The said ones made cheering voices, "Kaiser, Kingsley and I are going to the manor."

Nobody protested against the arrangement; Draco believed it was better to place those romantically involved together, imagining how straining it was not knowing how your loved one was doing. He also claimed the right to be placed in the manor, no one dared to deprive it from him.

Their idea was dangerous but clever; inspired by the Muggle world, insuring none of the Death Eaters would ever think of it. It was a sheer act of terror, mimicking guerilla fighting, and using Muggle explosives, leaving no magic trails and impossible to discover with magical means. Alexa had thought of it while reading a Muggle paper, something she did quite regularly these days, interested in how the unmagical people viewed the ongoing war.

It was a very early morning and they were lurking outside the Malfoy Manor; all the explosives already placed, their job was almost ridiculously easy as the inhabitants of the manor were confined the house, after the scandalous escape. All they have to do is wait for Hermione to charm their coins and give the signal.

And then they ignited the fuse, and simultaneously all through England explosion sounds were heard and tongues of fire lit the early morning sky and the pungent scent of gunpowder carried in with the wind. The Death Eaters were frantic and panic stricken, the ministry, and especially the Law Enforcement department, was fully occupied, almost collapsing under the massive amount of calls, and the trio's way out of Gringotts was cleared.

Alexa had to give it to them; they had style, escaping Gringotts on the back of a half blind dragon. They returned to Grimmuald place wounded and exhausted but owning the fourth Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

"We have to go back to Hogwarts," Potter said tiredly as they sat in the warm living room, sharing a bottle of Firewhiskey.

"Show a little bit enthusiasm," Alexa taunted Hermione, whose face were pale, making Draco chuckled.

"Why Potter, anxious to sit your N.E.?" Draco questioned, equally teasing. Alexa and Draco grew so much alike, adapting the same cynical views and dark humor.

"No, we still need to destroy the Horcrux," Potter explained flatly, "And since Griphook disappeared with Gryffindor's sword, we need to find another way to obliterate it."

"That traitor, son of a Flubberworm, foul little Goblin-" Weasley began to curse Griphook for betraying them, when Hermione quickly silenced him.

"Basilisk poison proved to be efficient in destroying Horcrux," Hermione shared, "So we were thinking about going to the Chamber of Secrets. Furthermore more, Harry thinks the diadem is also located in Hogwarts."

"You do realize Hogwarts isn't the friendliest place for Mudbloods right now, don't you, Granger?" Draco asked, and no one even notice this use of derogatory term, not even him. Childish name calling seemed so far away from them at that time.

"I'm not thrilled to return." Hermione said quietly, "But I'm afraid we have no other choice."

There was a long silence, Potter fixing his eyes on Alexa. "What, do you want me to tell you we've got your back?" Alexa snorted, whipping the side of her mouth from the trails of Firewhiskey.

"It would be nice to hear." Potter said dryly.

"I made a deal with you, didn't I?" Alexa reminded him, "I'm here till the bitter end, Potter."

Everyone stared at Draco who seemed completely indifferent to the attention he was receiving. "I want that bastard dead." He finally uttered, his words dripping with hatred and Alexa wondered if he referred to the Dark Lord or to his father.

They headed each to his room, every one of them dealing with his own demons, drown in his personal ponders; it was never so clear that this united group was assembled of five very different individuals. Alexa stood under the stream of hot water in the shower, letting the boiling liquid burn her skin, disinfect her from her sins when another presence joined her in the bathroom. She felt his naked body grazing against her back as his lips gently bit her neck, causing her to moan softly. In a swift movement he turned her around and scooped her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and penetrated her forcefully, slamming her back against the wall. Water, saliva, sweat and semen mixed together in a passionate rendezvous, channeling all of their fears and worries into lustful groping and hungry kisses. It was the ultimate relief.

"I fucking hate him." Was the only words that were exchanged between them, and Alexa was certain to whom they were directed. Draco wrapped a towel around her shoulders, and grabbed his toothbrush, applying slightly too much pressure on the paste tube. He brushed his tooth lazily, scratching his groin with his other hand, sitting on the toilet seat completely naked with his hair plastered on his face. Alexa would find this display hilarious in any other circumstances, but these days nothing seemed funny.


	21. Goodbye

**So this is the last chapter of Jelly Slugs and Acid Pops. ****I had a great time writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

**Could you please tell me why chapter 10 was your favorite, receiving even more views than the first chapter?**

**Oh, and there's a Draco/Hermione fanfic on the way. **

**Thank you Icarus for being my most loyal reader, and Cecilia for beta reading and reviewing and all the others that comment and make me smile. You're amazing!**

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Goodbye**

Battle of Hogwarts.

Years later, people would talk about it with awe, praise the heroes, mourn the dead; at that moment it did not seem to Alexa it was too glorious.

Years Later, she would think of that battle, praise the heroes, mourn the dead, and know in absolute certainty that it was anything but glorious.

While Potter, Weasley and Hermione went in search for the fifth Horcrux, Alexa and Draco stayed behind, joining McGonagall as a human shield, to block the Death Eaters and allow the trio to accomplish their mission. It was what she had been preparing herself to for nearly two years, it was the climax of her bloody, twisted fairy tale, and when she woke up that moment she knew, without any doubt, that she would live through that day. It was not a happy thought, far from it, because it meant she would live to remember what she had done, to struggle with the demons inside of her. But it was a feeling of warm confidence, combined with the comforting thought that that day it might be over; she felt like dressing up for the event.

It was the first time since she had joined the Order that she wore something other than black robes. Instead she put on a deep green robe that had sparkles of silver when the sun beams reflected from it, and even wore some of her mother's jewelry. It did not occur to her how sick it was; she was not so pretty and well groomed even in the Yule Ball. Everyone stared when she came down for breakfast but not one said a word, there was a silent acknowledgement that she was a raving lunatic. A few of them really worried about her, like that time she heard low voices talking in the kitchen.

"She's not well." Hermione said.

"Quite an understatement." Draco replied cynically.

"You should take care of her." Hermione told him in an authoritative voice, "She needs help."

"She can't be helped now," Draco stated gloomily, "Not until the war is over."

"But you would take care of her afterwards, right?" Hermione questioned.

"Are we really having this conversation, Granger?" Draco drawled.

"It seems so, and not for the first time." Hermione remarked.

There was a silence. Then Draco said, "Of course I will." And then another silence.

However, that morning she felt exquisite, or at least as exquisite as you can feel when you know you have a long day of fighting for your life and taking others lives. And she continued to feel that way even when swarm of Death Eaters flowed to the castle, a massive bloc of blankness, ruthlessness and bloodlust. She wished she could say she had been scared, but she really was not, she only worried for Draco and he seemed to do pretty well.

Obviously, she drove a sick pleasure in killing like she had the previous times, but she thought this time was different, that it would also bring her some sort of peacefulness, a cure for a revengeful heart. It did nothing of that sort, it was purely technical. Sure, the thrill of the fight was overwhelming and combined with the overdose of drugs she had abused she felt alive like never before. But being alive was not so great, as she sadly discovered.

She noticed her fellow members at the Order had always tried to avoid the use of the Killing Curse, or even slightly less lethal spells; she had never thought about wasting her breath just to stupefy someone. Especially not when she hexed Dolohov, and grinned widely as he started to bleed, unable to stop the blood loss, and just slowly died in front of her. Nor did she forsaken Nott when she Aveda'd him without a blink. She received extra pleasure from Cruciating Macnair and then casting a spell that caused him to tardily suffocate; she particularly hated people that were cruel to animals.

But nothing, absolutely nothing felt more satisfying than killing Bellatrix Lestrange. Alexa had wanted to kill Bellatrix since the day she discovered Bellatrix was directly responsible for her parents' death. She wanted that it even more when she heard that filthy old vixen was after Draco. And it was only magnified when she saw her kill Tonks. In her way, Alexa really did like Tonks.

She shoved Molly forcefully, taking her place in the duel, Bellatrix was hers to finish. Stories would tell their duel was epic, legendry, and for once they were correct. It seemed like everything stopped around them when they fought each other.

"Missing your parents, little girl?" Bellatrix taunted, "Want me to repeat with to you what I did to them?"

Alexa was too enraged to answer, and she was panting too. Instead, she casted a well aimed curse at the blubbering Bellatrix, leaving a nasty cut at her side; the woman shrieked. "A wise man said once; when you have to shot- shot, don't talk." Alexa said with a devilish smirk. Hermione did get her into Muggle movies.

It was a bright mixture of reds and greens and purples, deadly curses and shielding charms, psychological warfare and a match of physical endurance; dueling was sickly exhausting. Their exchange of hexes was so fast Alexa found herself only thinking of a continuous list of defensive and offensive charms, in a chanting like rhythm. Bur for a one tiny moment she was distracted by an explosion behind her, and she had to glance over to see Draco was alright; it was all Bellatrix needed to break through Alexa's defenses with her infamous Cruciatus.

It took Alexa a moment to understand was hit her; she heard Bellatrix scream the word, but the pain never came. Well, he did, but in a much subtle way than it used to, when Snape had tortured her. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, maybe it was the analgesic effect of the drugs, maybe it was the fact that she had been Crucio'd during the war more times than she could remembered. But the fact was, Bellatrix was putting everything she had in her curse and Alexa was still standing.

Alexa looked up to meet Bellatrix's eyes, who usually held pure madness, but now also contained fear. With a swift slash of her wand Alexa blocked the pain away, smirking in a diabolic way that only matched Bellatrix's psychotic expressions. "I heard, Bella, that you had a thing for Draco." Alexa teased and they returned to exchange curses.

She saw Bellatrix grimace her face. "I thought you'd like to know," Alexa said slowly, mockingly, "That I fucked him every single night, and god, was that heavenly." Alexa provoked her and Bellatrix fell for it.

A moment of distraction was all Alexa needed to break through Bellatrix's defenses. She conjured a silvery hand to close tightly around Bellatrix's neck, choking her so she could not fight back, but not enough to kill her. Alexa walked over to her, deliberately slowly, pointing her wand at her neck, controlling the strength of the grip. Alexa tore Bellatrix's wand from her weak hand and kicked her hard in the stomach, throwing her at the floor.

She straddled the drooling, shaking Bellatrix, staring right into those haunted eyes of hers, holding Bellatrix wand over her head. And with a forcefully stab, she stuck it right into her right eye, going all the way in. Blood was splashed at Alexa's face; she could not care less about it. "That's for my parents, you traitorous whore."

When she rose to her feet the battle was over. People was torn between cheering for the victorious Potter or crying their hearts out over the ones they've lost, they were confused and unable to digest that it was all over. Sound of broken sobs and joyful singing mixed in her ears, families united in a loving hug, couples sharing a passionate kiss; she felt rather out of place.

She felt someone tug at her arm and turned to see a very bloody Draco smiling at her weakly. "Can you believe it's really over?" he asked her in a quiet voice.

"Yes. I knew it would when I woke up this morning." Alexa replying calmly.

He gave her a long stare. "You're really strange, you know that?" he inquired, raising and eyebrow. She simply nodded and pointed her wand at his face, cleaning some of the mess, and then gently tacked a strand of hair behind his ear; he was beautiful. Maybe she did not have to leave after all. She cupped his cheek with her hand and stood on her toes, placing a soft kiss on his lips; they have never kissed in public before, and she was worried of his reaction. Worrying seemed to be unnecessary as he welcomed the gesture, wrapping his arms around her and kissing back passionately.

"Give me the money, Harry." They heard Hermione said, and broke the kiss to see the living members of the Order watching them.

"I just lost ten Galleons because of you, Malfoy." Potter said bitterly, handing Hermione the golden coins.

Draco grinned, satisfied. "And why would that be?"

"Hermione insisted there was something going on between you to," Potter explained, "I claimed Alexa would not touch you with laser marker."

"I'm pleased to inform you Alexa had been touching me in a very not innocent way for a few months now." Draco said smugly, and Alexa elbowed him meanly in the ribs. "You're not very observant, Potter."

"This is just disgusting." Ron Weasley commented, pretending to puke.

"I guess I shouldn't ask why you had not participated in this bet, Weasel," Draco said maliciously, "Losing ten Galleons would mean you'll be forever enslaved to Potter."

Alexa chuckled, that was the Draco she knew. While the members of the Order consider what to do, if they should celebrate the victory or grieve for their dead friends, Alexa and Draco elegantly and discreetly left the conversation and the school grounds, returning to Grimmuald place. They collapsed on the sofa near the fireplace the second they arrived, fatigue taking over.

"What now Alexa?" Draco asked faintly, while she was snuggling against his chest, in his lap.

"I don't know." She replied honestly, "I don't want to think about it now. Tomorrow, maybe." But she did think about it, she did not want to, but she could not refrain from doing so. She knew she had to leave, she had to start fresh like she had told herself she would do, yet she really did not want to, because it felt so good being held by him.

They fell asleep on the sofa, in front of the fireplace, cuddled together like on their very first night together on Grimmuald place. And when they woke up in the morning it was nothing like their first morning there, months ago. Alexa stretched with a yawn and lazily opened her eyes, seeing a sleepy Draco gazing down at her with his enchanting grey eyes. She could get used to it.

An owl arrived for her and it was strange, no one ever Owled her except from her grandparents and she told them not to, until the war was over. Draco mumbled something about going to his room and Alexa curiously opened the envelope reading the letter. And then read it again.

The room had started to fill up with people in want for one of Molly's fabulous breakfasts and Alexa was still staring at the letter. "What is it about?" Draco asked casually when he returned, all clean and well groomed.

"My grandparents died." Alexa said emotionlessly. And then she crumpled the paper in her palm, a blank expression on her face. "I should go to Germany."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Draco offered kindly, placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"No!" she almost screamed, shaking his hand of her.

Draco sighed, knowing Alexa was a difficult person. "Fine, talk to me when you return."

There was a silence. "I'm not coming back." Alexa said quietly.

"What?" Draco cried out, wondering if his hearing had deteriorated that much.

"I need to get away from all of this, I need to forget." Alexa said in a broken voice.

"So do I," Draco said in an agonized voice, "We can go together."

"No, you are part of it," Alexa told him flatly, "I need to forget you too."

"So you're just going to leave?" his tone rose, unable to control his temper anymore. And that was saying a lot, because Draco was inhumanly stoic.

"I have nothing left here. I have nothing left at all." Alexa said, feeling as empty and lonely as she never felt in her life. "Everyone's dead."

"And what about me?" Draco challenged her, practically in her face. She could count every lash around his bloodshot eyes, and feel his warm breath hitting her face.

She could not stay with him. It was wrong for her to have a happy ending after all she had done, and he deserved better than a maniac mass murderer. She had to do it. "Just as dead." She said coldly, "I suggest you start thinking about me the same way."

And with that she left the conversation, and went to her room to gather her few belongings. Ten minutes later she was back down with a small backpack, saying her goodbyes to everyone. He approached her when she placed her hand on the doorknob, "It's final?" he asked in a desperate voice.

"It is, Malfoy," she said without turning to look at him, but she knew he cringed when she called him by his surname. And then she left.

Alexa did not know he slowly dragged his feet to the sofa, and collapsed, defeated, hiding his face in his palms. Or that Hermione came to sit beside him, placing a soothing hand on his back.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked in a soft voice.

"What do you think, Granger?" Draco retorted angrily.

"For how long?" she inquired, biting her lip.

"All these years." He replied honestly.

"It's terrible. I'm sorry." Hermione for once, had no words.

"No." Draco said furiously, "That is terrible." He pulled a small velvety box out of his pocket, handing it to Hermione. She gasped when she opened it; inside was a beautiful ring.

Alexa would never imagine that Hermione threw her hands around Draco and hugged him and that he would return the hug. "Hermione Granger is comforting me over my romantic failures." Draco mumbled, puzzled and broken and depressed all at once.

She gave him a weak smile and said, "Stranger than fiction, isn't it?"

Alexa did not know all of that.

**The end**

**Or is it?**


End file.
